Energy Access vs. Energy for Prosperity: A Reassessment of Africa's Strategies and Priorities

In recent times, sustainable development has received so much media, business and government attention, sometimes influencing the decisions of both voters and end-users. Expectedly, several organizations and governments endeavor to demonstrate their sensitivity to this theme in order to earn favors. Electrifying rural households falls within the topics on the front-burner. Although the general consensus has been that rural electrification has huge impacts on household labor supply, income and summary measures of well-being, some observational and randomized experimental studies suggest otherwise. Here, we reviewed the divergent conclusions across the literature, assessed technological readiness to support low-cost electrification, presented a case study of sustainable off-grid electrification from the Himalayas, and recommended sustainable growth strategies for energy-poor countries. We conclude that electrification efforts solely focused on electrifying poor and mostly rural households via government-subsidized mass electrification programs, are not likely to be economically transformative. Instead, Sub-Saharan African countries should prioritize energy for productive use as a strategy for both sustainable rural electrification and meaningful gains in development outcomes.