Can Africa’s biggest electrification drive keep its promise?
8/10/2026: In 2024, an ambitious plan was launched to deliver reliable power to 300 million more sub-Saharan Africans by 2030. Official figures state that 50 million people have been connected so far across 40 African countries but there are doubts over the accuracy of this figure.
Source: Dialogue Earth
Why geothermal energy benefits everyone in Iceland but not Kenya
2/10/2026: In Iceland, geothermal energy is widely hailed as a success story as everyone benefits from it. Kenya's development of the same technology is entangled in local disputes over land and pollution. Until questions of governance and finance are placed at the centre of the transition, the promise of “clean energy” will continue to mask deeply unequal outcomes.
Source: African Arguments
Will AI widen the global divide between rich and poor countries?
30/9/2026: Dozens of AI-related forums were held as world leaders converged for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Yet most low and middle income countries are still struggling with basic access to electricity, not to mention computers, phones and the Internet. Low-income countries account for less than 0.1 percent of global commercial data centers, according to the World Bank.
Source: PassBlue
US-Iran war challenges Africa’s energy transition
16/7/2026: Some African governments believe that expansion of local oil and gas production and refining is the right response to disruption in global energy markets. Others favour commitment to the accelerating renewable-energy roll-out across the continent, marked by record low costs for renewables.
Source: Dialogue Earth
Time to implement the cure for Nigeria’s electricity crisis
12/7/2026: With too few power plants, no gas, and a fragile grid, Nigeria still delivers only a fraction of the electricity that the country needs. Hopes now rest on a new state institution, supported by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, to underwrite a viable financial model for new generation projects.
Source: African Arguments
Concern for target to deliver universal access to electricity
24/6/2026: Progress in providing access to electricity across the world has stalled. Rural populations in Sub-Saharan Africa without access to electricity are increasing in number. Achieving universal access by 2030 will now require the annual rate of progress to triple.
Source: World Health Organization
Risk averse investors undermine Africa’s clean energy goals
10/9/2025: The World Bank estimates that around 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity. Ambitious targets for new renewable energy capacity by 2030 are struggling over lack of investment capital.
Source: Climate Home News
How can a vast electrification drive benefit East Africa?
28/7/2025: In the African continent, 600 million people, or almost 50% of the population, are without electricity access. From this challenging landscape Mission 300 was launched in 2024, a plan to connect 300 million people to electricity by 2030 at a projected cost of USD 90 billion. Can Africa, and East Africa in particular, avoid repeating past mistakes where aid has sometimes translated into power lines without lighting?
Source: Dialogue Earth
Mission 300 tests what it takes to power Africa
24/4/2025: Dismantling USAID has led to the collapse of Power Africa, a once high-profile US initiative to deliver access to electricity. Attention now focuses on Mission 300, an ambitious plan to bring electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.
Source: Devex
US Energy Secretary will support African energy needs, not climate
7/3/2025: Christopher Wright, the US Energy Secretary, said the US will support African nations in developing any type of energy they choose and set aside "paternalistic" practices and climate change demands. According to Wright, climate change is not among the top ten global problems.
Source: Devex