Start-ups can help Africa meet its energy needs. But they need to be encouraged

Energy access remains a huge problem for most people living on the African continent. More than 600 million out of a population of about 1.3 billion people in sub-Saharan Africa don’t have reliable electricity access. Although sub-Saharan Africa has about 13% of the world’s population, about 48% are without energy access. Only seven countries in the sub-region – Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa – can boast of 50% access rates. And, with the exception of South Africa, the energy consumption rate is 150 kilowatt per capita, way below emerging market estimates. It’s been projected that…

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