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South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster in February, in response to the country’s drawn-out energy crisis. The country has endured rolling black outs since 2008 and 2022 saw twice as many as in previous years.

The problem of reliable energy is not unique to South Africa. According to the African Development Bank, over 640 million Africans have no access to energy, which means Africa has the lowest energy access rate in the world.

This week on the program, we examine why the continent with the greatest renewable energy potential is struggling to meet its energy needs and what can be done to remedy this.