Why do so many African countries struggle to maintain a supply of electricity?
Although access to power has increased in recent years, it still remains low with more than 50% of the region’s population having no grid connection, according to the UN
Today, we're shining a light on a topic that keeps many African nations in the dark – the struggle for stable electricity supply.
Africa has the lowest access to electricity in the world. Roughly half a billion people lack access to a stable power supply, including two of the continent's biggest economies β€” Nigeria and South Africa.
Recently in Sierra Leone, people faced longer than average blackouts in the capital city Freetown and other main cities across the country.
The reason behind these power cuts was because Sierra Leone owed $48 million to the Turkish energy company, Karpowership. Some of that debt has since been settled and electricity has been restored.
In today’s Africa Daily, Mpho Lakaje has been looking at how frequent black outs impact life on the continent and what should be done to fix the problem.
Podcast
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Africa Daily
One question to wake up to every weekday morning. One story from Africa, for Africa
