What we are doing
It is estimated that over 70% of Africa’s urban population live in informal settlements. In the context of this rapid growth and despite a far better urban electrification rate compared to rural electrification rates, urban dwellers in Africa still, by and large, fall behind the other urban population in terms of access to modern forms of energy, as is the case with other areas of service delivery. The lack of access to modern forms of energy inhibits the growth of the economies of these urban centres, especially in informal settlements where energy access is lowest. There is a strong case that energy access is not resolved by creating connections alone, but that the quality of the service and delivery methods also are key in creating impact for the end-user. Historically, most national governments have held the mandate for centralised energy systems when utility scale electricity was viewed as the prime solution for energy access. Now, with decentralised energy solutions opening new pathways for energy access, local governments are responsible for creating an enabling environment for energy access, especially in informal urban areas. This revolution in energy technologies is taking place at the same time as many governments in Africa are devolving more powers to local governments. However, local governments in Sub-Saharan Africa are not yet ready to take hold of these energy access opportunities due to a lack of capacity for energy data collection and planning and the need to develop stronger partnerships with the private sector.
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