Africa can adapt models that put electricity to work for economic growth, not just expanding access. | © Shutterstock.com
Decades of investment in Africa’s electrification have delivered real gains, yet progress has been uneven and, in some of the continent's largest economies, frustratingly slow. As governments and their international development partners redouble their efforts, a critical question emerges: what can Africa's own electrification trajectory, and the experience of regions that have moved faster, teach us about what it takes to sustain momentum?
In new research, we examine Africa’s journey on the path of electrification and surface a previously overlooked lesson about the role of local governments. Pursuing electricity access for its own sake is not enough to reduce poverty: a much broader constellation of policy actions is needed — and this is precisely where local governments play a role that is both crucial and unavoidable.