Sustainability by numbers • 349 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
- Under mainstream energy scenarios, electricity use per person in Africa will still be very low by 2050, leaving many people unable to power basic appliances or cool their homes.
- The key reason is weak economic growth — without stronger GDP and industrial development, electricity demand and access won’t rise much.
- Cheaper solar and storage can help lower costs, but they won’t close the gap by themselves; affordable power plus broad economic development are both needed to lift billions out of deep energy poverty.