Only four in 10 Africans enjoy reliable power supply, according to findings from the Pan African research network, Afrobarometer. The research group warns that a dark continent is one of the barriers to economic growth.
While there is about 14% increase in grid coverage to 65% in the last 10 years, much of the continent is still in the dark. The statistics are grim, of 54,000 interviews in 36 African countries, only four in 10 enjoy a reliable power supply. It is not all gloom, despite load shedding in South Africa; the country is among the best in terms of bridging the rural and urban distribution.
Kenya on the other hand, has covered much ground in increasing connectivity. Electricity is placed at position 11 of priority problems that African governments must tackle, far behind unemployment and education, but ahead of corruption, housing and political violence.
