Welcome to the latest edition of Africa in Fact. This issue looks at “Africa’s energy deficit” and how best to resolve Africa’s persistent energy poverty, asking what exactly a “just transition” looks like. What are our policy options? How do governments avoid getting locked into poor deals? In doing so, the editorial team wanted to avoid falling into the polar extremes of renewables versus fossil fuels, and focus instead on a nuanced examination of optimal energy mixes and pathways.
Right now there are still 600 million Africans (roughly 60% of the continent’s population) who do not have access to electricity at all. Thus the importance of finding knowledgeable, workable solutions to the continent’s energy poverty cannot be understated. We hope this edition lights the path to this end. Enjoy.
