By Jessie Taylor
Africa is one of the regions most at risk from climate change. Yet the continent has the world's greatest solar energy potential, according to World Bank Data.
The World Bank’s Global Solar Atlas describes Africa’s solar potential as a “unique opportunity” to provide affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity to “a large share of humanity where improved economic opportunities and quality of life are the most needed”.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that Africa has 60% of the world’s best solar resources, but only 1% of solar generation capacity. However, this is changing as a number of African nations are pioneering in the renewable energy sector.
According to the World Energy Trilemma 2024, Africa is grappling with rising demand, security challenges and a transition towards cleaner energy.
The report has been prepared by the World Energy Council annually since 2010. The council's definition of energy trilemma is based on three core dimensions: energy security, energy equity, and environmental sustainability of energy systems. Balancing these three goals constitutes a ‘Trilemma’ and balanced systems enable the prosperity and competitiveness of individual countries.
It presents a comparative ranking of 126 countries’ energy systems. It provides an assessment of a country’s energy system performance, reflecting balance and robustness in the three Trilemma dimensions.
The report found that amid strong population growth and increased urbanisation, energy demand across the continent is expected to rise by 30% between 2020 and 2030.
"Africa stands at a critical juncture between two divergent energy models: the conventional, extractive model of the past and an emergent twin transition to clean energy and digitisation. In navigating a complex landscape involving access and equity, investment, sovereignty, institutional capacities, social development, and workforce building, Africa is also confronting the prevailing divergence between centralised and distributed energy generation," the report found.
"The pursuit of export-driven revenues often takes precedence over the need for universal access, leaving significant segments of the population without modern energy supplies. The rise of new technologies and initiatives to enhance regional energy trade and ensure supply security shapes both institutional priorities and investment landscapes."
Mauritius was the highest-scoring African country on the index, followed by Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.