Several countries in Africa are looking to expand their energy systems to meet rising electricity demand. The question remains whether they will industrialize in the same way developed nations have done in the past, or whether they will install a greater proportion of low-carbon technologies. The region is at an inflection point and just like in Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken, choosing the road less traveled may have benefits.  

As we look ahead to the COP27 summit, which will be held in Egypt in November 2022, climate finance for the developing world will be in the spotlight. Today, we speak with Chasity McFadden, an energy transition analyst at BloombergNEF focused on Africa, about what she is seeing in the region. Through case studies in Namibia and South Africa, we think about what the future energy system could look like in Sub-Saharan Africa.

For additional information, BNEF subscribers can read the research notes titled Namibia Spearheads Energy Storage in Sub-Saharan Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa’s Power Technology Debate, and South Africa Tackles Power Outages Through Private Sector. These can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal, at bnef.com, or on BNEF's mobile app.

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