“The pandemic has eroded the gains made in the previous five years – the number of people without access to electricity increased by 4% in 2021, compared to 2019. This was the result of complex challenges, including limited fiscal and financial capacity to develop new connections network and off-grid by governments and households, and the lockdowns resulting in supply chain disruptions and other logistical disruptions.”
The pandemic, he mentioned, had the biggest effect on the installation of new off-grid autonomous systems, as most new connections since 2020 were network connections. Sales of standalone solar home systems, including solar panels and batteries with a capacity of at least 20 watts, are down by around 20% in sub-Saharan Africa between 2019 and 2021.
Meanwhile, Côte d'Ivoire and Kenya ranked second and third with the highest rate of access to electricity.
