Currently about 1.2 billion people have no access to an electricity supply. In sub-Saharan Africa, 630 million people (65% of the population) have no electricity and 800 million do not have their own cooking facilities. Progress on the African continent has remained minimal so far. Africa is therefore at the heart of Goal 7 of Agenda 2030, the World Bank notes.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), hundreds of millions of people without electricity today will have access to in by 2030. But although nearly all the inhabitants of South Asia will benefit from this, some 600 million Africans will not have this opportunity because of the rapid population growth.
“Sustainable energy is the thread that connects economic growth, social equity and our efforts in the fight against climate change. “Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN, January 18, 2016.