Africa Power Crisis: Summit Sets Bold Targets for 600M Without Electricity
Nearly 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa remain without electricity, exposing the scale of the continent’s energy crisis as policymakers, investors and development partners prepare to meet in Benin Republic to push for reforms aimed at making power supply reliable, affordable and capable of driving industrialisation.
The persistent electricity deficit, compounded by unreliable grid supply and the high cost of self-generation for businesses, will take centre stage at the 12th Africa Think Tank Summit in Cotonou from October 28 to 30, where participants are expected to confront the structural, regulatory and financing challenges holding back the continent’s power sector.
The summit, convened by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in collaboration with the Government of Benin and the African Union, comes amid growing recognition that expanding electricity access alone will not deliver economic transformation without financially sustainable utilities, effective regulation and investment in infrastructure.
Under the theme, “From Energy Access to Economic Transformation: Practical Policy Pathways for Power Sector Viability, Growth, and Reform in Africa,” the meeting will seek to move the continent’s energy debate beyond political commitments towards practical reforms that improve electricity supply, strengthen utility performance and enable businesses to compete.
About 300 policymakers, researchers, private investors and development partners from more than 50 countries are expected to attend the three-day gathering.
The stakes extend beyond household electrification. Unreliable electricity forces many African businesses to rely on generators and other costly alternatives, increasing production expenses, eroding competitiveness and constraining the expansion of industries that could create jobs and strengthen national economies.
For African governments pursuing industrialisation and economic diversification, the challenge is to ensure that power systems can supply energy consistently while remaining financially viable and attractive to investors.
Mamadou Biteye, Executive Secretary of ACBF, said reliable and affordable electricity was indispensable to Africa’s structural transformation, but warned that access alone would not deliver the desired economic gains.
“We need institutions capable of implementing reform, utilities that can deliver sustainably, and African evidence that informs the decisions being made. This Summit is about bringing those elements together and moving from ambition to implementation,” Biteye said.
The summit will examine reforms to improve the financial health and operational performance of electricity utilities, strengthen policy and regulatory frameworks, mobilise private capital, expand regional power trade and broaden access to clean cooking solutions.
A central issue is how to build utilities capable of maintaining infrastructure, expanding networks and delivering dependable electricity without persistent financial difficulties undermining their operations.
Director of the African School of Regulation, Dr Abdulkadir Shettima, said effective regulation was essential to building financially viable power utilities, attracting investment and ensuring reliable, affordable electricity.
He said the summit offered an opportunity to advance practical, evidence-based reforms that could accelerate the continent’s energy transformation.
Financing will also feature prominently, particularly the challenge of reducing investment risks and the cost of capital that can prevent viable energy and infrastructure projects from reaching implementation.
President of the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE), Dr Ngueto Tiraïna Yambaye,, said Africa needed financing mechanisms capable of sharing risks and making energy investments more attractive to lenders and private investors.
He said FAGACE used risk-mitigation instruments, particularly guarantees, alongside its capacity to mobilise resources, to connect banks, financial markets and investors with transformative energy and infrastructure projects.
The discussions are also expected to explore how regional electricity markets and cross-border power trade could improve supply options, encourage cooperation among countries and support wider economic integration.
Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Ambassador Selma Malika Haddadi, said access to modern, reliable energy at scale was essential to achieving the industrialisation and integration objectives of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
She said the continental body was supporting member states in promoting regional power pools and cross-border electricity trade, adding that the summit would advance the agenda through evidence and dialogue.
As host, Benin will bring its experience in infrastructure, governance and energy reform to the discussions.
H.E. Aristide Medenou, Benin’s Minister of Economy and Finance, in charge of Cooperation, said the country was proud to host the gathering and urged participants to share solutions capable of delivering tangible benefits to citizens.
The programme will feature a high-level opening ceremony, a ministerial roundtable, plenary sessions, technical breakout discussions and reform-focused workshops. A dedicated research session will present findings from three consortia under the Africa Think Tank Platform project.
The gathering is intended to connect African research and policy expertise with the governments, regulators, utilities and investors responsible for implementing energy-sector reforms.
Its central test, however, will be whether the discussions can translate into practical changes that improve electricity reliability, strengthen utility finances, lower barriers to investment and expand access for underserved communities.
With hundreds of millions of people still without electricity and businesses bearing the cost of unreliable supply, the summit will place renewed focus on whether African governments can turn energy commitments into functioning power systems that support production, jobs and inclusive growth.
