* The entire installed power generation capacity of Africa’s 48 Sub-Saharan countries is 68 gigawatts, no more than Spain’s. As much as one-quarter of that is unavailable because of aging plants and poor maintenance, according to the African Development Bank.
* Per capita consumption of electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa, averages 124 kilowatts a year, barely 1 percent of consumption in high-income countries.
* Just one person in five has access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa.
* If current trends continue, fewer than 40 percent of African countries will reach universal access to electricity by 2050.
* Power outages account for losses in sales and equipment damage amounting to 6 percent of revenues on average in formal sector enterprises, and as much as 16 percent in informal sector enterprises.
* The economic cost of power shortages can amount to 2 percent of GDP, according to the African Development Bank.
* Nearly 70 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s population, some 600 million people, have no access to electricity. The 70 percent figure climbs to more than 85 percent when only rural areas are assessed.
* Sub-Saharan Africa will require more than $300 billion in investment to achieve universal electricity access by 2030.
