The IEA’s ‘Energy Sub-Saharan Africa’ project is funded by the European Union and is designed to support the aspirations of selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa to improve their energy data management and long-term energy planning.
Read more“An Affordable and Sustainable Energy System for Sub-Saharan Africa” (Energy Sub-Saharan Africa) is a five-year (2019-2024) programme funded by the European Union that is designed to support selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa to improve their energy data management and long-term energy planning.
The IEA has been working in and with African countries on energy issues for more than two decades and in recent years, the agency has substantially expanded its engagement with African regional partners and countries to enhance institutional engagement and technical capabilities.
The following 10 countries participated in the programme: Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia. The long-term objective of the programme is to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the selected countries through the transition towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient energy sector, while delivering universal and affordable energy access to all.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s energy future matters for the world, due in part to:
Sub-Saharan Africa will play an increasingly important role in shaping the global energy landscape and achieving global climate goals.
Despite this, sub-Saharan Africa is the least understood region in the global energy system. Key barriers include a lack of basic energy demand and supply statistics due to institutional limitations and the limited application of energy modelling and analysis in policy design, market analysis and investment decisions.
Given the region’s increasing significance in the international energy arena, it is more critical than ever to gain a clearer picture of the energy sector developments taking place in the region and to ensure that energy policymaking is evidence-based and data-driven.
Reliable data is essential for planning, monitoring and evaluating policies and investments in energy access, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Energy data is the bedrock of evidence-based and data-driven policymaking, and reliable data is critical for measuring progress against targets and metrics, such as SDG 7. The IEA develops and makes freely available comparable, reliable, country-level energy statistics for sub-Saharan African countries, with particular efforts made to release enhanced data for the countries participating in the programme. The IEA will ensure the data availability beyond the duration of the programme.
Explore country data: Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zambia.
The IEA has developed a series of country profiles that present the latest energy data and essential insights into the energy landscape of each country participating in the Energy Sub-Saharan Africa programme. These profiles encompass comprehensive information on energy, climate, and economic data, as well as the primary energy sector policies and strategies being implemented to support the energy transition. They also include maps illustrating power infrastructure and weather trends.
“An Affordable and Sustainable Energy System for sub-Saharan Africa” programme is designed to support energy access for all citizens in sub-Saharan Africa in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. The programme builds on the IEA’s previous work in Africa and aims to support policy- and decision-makers, energy authorities and other relevant stakeholders to make evidence-based and data-driven policies for sustainable energy sector development.
Overall, the programme aims to catalyse sustainable and inclusive economic growth and universal energy access in selected sub-Saharan African countries through accelerating the development of low-carbon and climate-resilient energy systems in the region. The expected outcomes of the programme, subject to data availability and national circumstances, are as follows:
Along with technical support and capacity reinforcement, the main goals are to; improve tracking against energy-related NDCs, SDGs and other policy goals, enhance long-term energy planning, increase access to modern and renewable energy, and expanding the use of digital services in energy systems are particular areas of focus.
Overall, to strengthen the capacity of governments in selected sub-Saharan African countries to implement evidence-based and data-driven policies for sustainable energy. The capacity building activities took place in two Phases:
Activities conducted during Phase I focused on two workstreams: energy data and modelling principles. This phase started with an inception stage dedicated to the setup of the implementation, then, a pilot online training on energy data and modelling was conducted with Senegal. Activities initially planned had to be adapted due to Covid-19 and the online training courses were refined and increased to produce a 25-hour course of live and interactive webinars teaching the basics of energy statistics and modelling using practical case studies and exercises. This online course has been delivered to nine countries, namely Senegal, Ethiopia, Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Zambia, Nigeria, Kenya, and Rwanda. In parallel, continuous activities were proposed to the community of energy professionals from all focus countries.
In the second phase of the initiative, a distinctive approach was adopted, shaped largely by the insights and feedback garnered from the first phase. This phase was organized around a three-stage training plan, each stage designed to progressively develop and refine the energy modelling capabilities of the participating countries. The methodology was tailored to empower these countries in building national energy models that would resonate with their specific energy strategies and policy needs.
The first stage of this phase involved comprehensive demand-side data mapping. This stage was initiated through a series of webinars directed at national officials from the participating countries. These sessions delved into the fundamental principles of demand-side data, assisting the administrations in identifying critical data gaps and setting priorities for data collection and analysis. Following these webinars, the officials embarked on the task of collecting and developing the necessary model inputs, laying the groundwork for the subsequent stages.
In the scope of data enhancement activities, the IEA collaborated with 3 Nigerian public institutions (Federal Ministry of Power as beneficiary, Energy Commission of Nigeria as technical partner, and National Bureau of Statistics as the implementer) by providing technical support to develop a residential energy demand-side survey for all fuels across all geopolitical zones of Nigeria. The survey also includes questions on energy access, lighting and cooking equipment, as well as residential appliances and aims to accelerate Nigeria’s efforts to achieve SDG 7 as well as other climate and energy policy goals. The survey work was launched at a high-level event, co-organized by the IEA with the participation of the Nigerian Minister of Power.
The final stage of Phase II saw participants engage in an intensive training regimen, encompassing both online and in-person components. The training was designed to be hands-on and practical, focusing on key areas such as energy balances, demand-side projections, scenario-based modelling, and flexibility in energy systems. Select participants from each country, identified for their potential and expertise, were offered a three-week training course. This course included a blend of online learning and in-person training sessions, held in diverse locations to provide a rich, contextual learning experience. The comprehensive nature of this training was aimed at equipping the participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to calibrate and refine their national energy models effectively.
Group photo taken at the IEA modelling training in Italy, July 2023.
The IEA Africa University is an online platform, created as part of Phase I, seeking to share knowledge with energy practitioners in Africa on a range of energy topics each month in English and French. The topics include:
IEA Africa University
The IEA’s ‘Energy Sub-Saharan Africa’ project is funded by the European Union and is designed to support the aspirations of selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa to improve their energy data management and long-term energy planning.
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