Widening energy access in Africa: Towards energy transition Youba Sokona n , Yacob Mulugetta, Haruna Gujba African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia article info Article history: Received 4 January 2012 Accepted 16 March 2012 Available online 1 April 2012 Keywords: Energy access Africa Sustainable development abstract The discussion to widen access to modern energy services has been influential in shaping some of the discussions on energy at the international level. The practice of widening modern energy services access to the poor in Africa is complex, and exacerbated by the dual nature of the energy system across Sub-Saharan Africa where traditional and modern energy systems and practices co-exist. This presents major challenges for policy makers who have to contend with a fragmented energy system, which requires the mobilisation of an array of actors at cross-sectoral levels in order to develop effective institutions and implement innovative policy frameworks. This paper further argues that, the ‘energy access’ discussion needs to take place in the context of energy transitions, giving due consideration to the productive sector as an important vehicle for change. As the link between energy and development is context specific, each African country needs to chart its own energy transition pathway into the future, and there are ample lessons that they can draw from previous energy transitions. & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Over the past 20 years, there has been an abundant and growing ‘energy for development’ literature focusing on the issue of access to modern energy services and the crucial role it plays for poverty reduction and socio-economic development (Leach, 1992; Sokona et al., 2004; Modi et al., 2005; Mulugetta et al., 2005; Gaye, 2007; United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), 2009; World Bank, 2009; Bast et al., 2011). The mission to widen access to modern energy services has been influential in shaping some of the discussions on energy at the international level. The year 2012 has been declared year of energy access and 2030 has been set as the year for achieving universal access to modern energy services. It is also important to stress that ‘energy access’ is beginning to acquire an important place in public policy debates at the national level, and no longer the sole concern of donor agencies and multilateral institutions. However, it is not yet clear whether and how these discussions can be integrated into sectoral policy decisions that enable the practical implementation of widening modern energy access. Part of the explanation for this may be that energy cuts across many sectors and therefore requires a cross-sectoral conversation, which does not sit well with the traditional approach in devel- opment planning. In addition, countries are yet to ‘own’ the energy access agenda, not because they do not consider energy as an important development concern but because the manner in which the ‘energy access’ issue is framed and how the agenda is set is yet to resonate with national development aspirations. Whilst the discussion on how to convert policy dialogues into practical action is progressing, it is important to take stock of what is happening on the ground. For the vast majority of Africans, lack of access to modern energy services constitutes a major obstacle for achieving wellbeing, and in the wider sense an impediment to the continent’s development objectives. Improved access to energy for poorer and marginalised communities would make a significant difference in the fight against poverty. More than in any other region in the world, access to affordable and appropriate energy services in Africa must and should grow significantly in order to improve the standard of living of the continent’s growing population. Modern forms of energy would enable living conditions to be transformed and boost industrial, agricultural, urban and rural development. For many commercial enterprises, unreliable and costly supplies of electricity and modern fuels impede production, growth and development. Increasingly high oil import bills and financial losses experienced by many of the African parastatal energy utilities constitute a handicap for national economies as well as to implement improvements of their energy systems. The principal energy sector initiative of the 1990s—privatisation and reform of energy supply utilities—has helped the utilities to a certain extent, improve their solvency, reduce debt burdens, and guarantee a provision of electricity to those able to pay. However, the preoccupation of these reform strategies in cost recovery and enhancing operational efficiency has not made access to electricity for the poor any easier. Much more needs to be done, on many fronts, particularly on policy, social and institutional aspects in order to unleash the great potential of the region’s energy and other Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol Energy Policy 0301-4215/$ - see front matter & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.03.040 n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ251 115445009. E-mail addresses: ysokona@gmail.com, YSokona@uneca.org (Y. Sokona). Energy Policy 47 (2012) 3–10