Page 20 - Vol 33 Issue 34 2021

Universal access to sustainable energy will remain elusive without
addressing inequalities
energy SDG 7

Universal access to

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

will remain elusive without

addressing inequalities

Compiled by Chege Moses Kasaija

Sustainable solutions must target African countries left behind in quest for global

energy access

uring the last decade, a greater share of the global population gained access to electricity than ever before,
Dbut the number of people without electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa actually increased. Unless efforts are
scaled up significantly in countries with the largest deficits the world will still fall short of ensuring universal
access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030, according to Tracking SDG 7: The Energy
Progress Report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) the International Renewable Energy Agency
(IRENA), the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the World Bank, and the World Health
Organization (WHO).

According to the report, significant progress has decentralized renewable-based solutions in cooking the world will fall short of its target by
been made since 2010 on various aspects of particular gained momentum. The number of 30 percent come 2030. The state of access in the
the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, but people connected to mini grids has more than Sub-Saharan African region is characterized
progress has been unequal across regions. While doubled between 2010 and 2019, growing from by population growth outpacing gains in the
more than one billion people gained access to 5 to 11 million people. However, under current number of people with access, so that 910 million
electricity globally over the last decade, COVID’s and planned policies and further affected by the in the region lack access to clean cooking. The top
financial impact has made basic electricity COVID-19 crisis, an estimated 660 million people 20 access-deficit countries account for 81 percent
services unaffordable for 30 million more would still lack access in 2030, most of them in of the global population without access to clean
people, the majority located in Africa. Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa. fuels and technologies. Of these, the Democratic
the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia At the same time, some 2.6 billion people Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar,
had the biggest electricity access deficits, with remained without access to clean cooking in Mozambique, Niger, Uganda and Tanzania had
Ethiopia replacing India in the Top 3. 2019, one third of the global population. Largely less or equal to 5 percent of their populations
Globally, the number of people without access stagnant progress since 2010 leads to millions with access to clean cooking. On a positive note,
to electricity declined from 1.2 billion in 2010 of deaths each year from breathing cooking Indonesia, Cambodia and Myanmar have made
to 759 million in 2019. Electrification through smoke, and without rapid action to scale up clean gains each year over the report period.

20 | AFRICAN POWER Mining & Oil Review Vol33 Issue 34 2021