Sub-Saharan Africa’s energy sector can be improved to unlock a better life for its citizens. This report describes one of the most poorly understood parts of the global energy system, offers an authoritative study of its future prospects, broken down by fuel, sector and sub-region and shows how investment in the sub-Saharan energy sector can stimulate rapid economic and social development across the region.

The report:

• Explores how quickly modern energy might be brought to the huge population currently deprived of it.
• Highlights key actions in the energy sector that can unleash more rapid economic and social development in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Examines how existing and emerging oil and gas producers can maximise the value of their resources for economic development.
• Evaluates the role of renewables in the region’s energy future, and how important mini- and off-grid solutions can be in providing access to electricity.
• Identifies the benefits that greater regional integration of the energy sector can bring, as well as mapping the future role of sub-Saharan Africa in the global energy system.

Published by the International Energy Agency