About 568 million people in Africa do not have access to electricity and Sub-Saharan Africa’s share of the global population without electricity rose to 77 percent in 2020 from 71 percent in 2018, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
In a statement, citing its 2022 Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, the IEA said that globally, 733 million people still have no access to electricity, and 2.4 billion people still cook with dirty fuels, noting that at the current rate of progress, 670 million people will remain without access electricity by 2030. This, the agency said, will be 10 million higher than was projected in 2021.
According to the IEA, 70 million people globally gained access to clean cooking fuels and technologies during the period under review. However, the progress made was not proportional to the rapid population growth, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The agency attributed slowing progress toward universal energy access to the outbreak of Covid-19, which led to disruption to global supply chains, and diversion of fiscal resources.
“The 2022 edition of Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report shows that the impacts of the pandemic, including lockdowns, disruptions to global supply chains, and diversion of fiscal resources to keep food and fuel prices affordable, have affected the pace of progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 7) of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy by 2030. Advances have been impeded particularly in the most vulnerable countries and those already lagging in energy access. Nearly 90 million people in Asia and Africa who had previously gained access to electricity can no longer afford to pay for their basic energy needs,” the IEA said.
“The impacts of the Covid-19 crisis on energy have been compounded in the last few months by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has led to uncertainty in global oil and gas markets and has sent energy prices soaring.
“Africa remains the least electrified region in the world with 568 million people without electricity access. Sub-Saharan Africa’s share of the global population without electricity jumped to 77 percent in 2020 from 71 percent in 2018 whereas most other regions saw declines in their share of the access deficits. While 70 million people globally gained access to clean cooking fuels and technologies, this progress was not enough to keep pace with population growth, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“The report finds that despite continued disruptions in economic activity and supply chains, renewable energy was the only energy source to grow through the pandemic. However, these positive global and regional trends in renewable energy have left behind many countries most in need of electricity. This was aggravated by a decrease in international financial flows for the second year in a row, falling to USD 10.9 billion in 2019.”
The agency pointed out that from 2010 to 2019, global annual improvements in energy intensity averaged around 1.9 percent. This, it said, is less than “the levels needed to meet SDG 7’s targets and to make up for loft (lost) ground, the average rate of improvement would have to jump to 3.2 percent.”
SDG 7 targets cover energy efficiency. The 2022 edition of Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, assessed achievements in the global quest for universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030.
“The shocks caused by Covid-19 reversed recent progress toward universal access for electricity and clean cooking, and slowed vital improvements in energy efficiency even as renewables showed encouraging resilience. Today, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered a global energy crisis, driving huge price spikes that are causing particularly severe impacts in developing economies. Many of these economies were already in dire financial straits as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, and overcoming these difficulties to get on track for Sustainable Development Goals will require massive and innovative financial solutions from the international community,” the statement quoted IEA’s Executive Director, Fatih Birol, as saying on the report.
