The determinants of electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa

Low access to electricity consumption distorts development prospects. In some parts of the world, individuals have to live with little or no access to electricity which has prompted decision makers to take considerable actions at increasing access to electricity globally. These actions are important considering the fact that modern energy consumption accelerates economic growth, reduces inequality, poverty, as well as environmental pollution and solid fuel consumption. In spite of these actions, the prevalence of limited access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa demands empirical research to ascertain the factors that undermine access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa considering the fact that not much has been done empirically in this area. Consequently, the determinants of electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa was the focus of this study. The methodological framework applied adopted the percentage of population with access to electricity as the dependent variable. The independent variables were constrained by data availability. The findings revealed that several factors have led to the low level of electricity consumption in Sub-Saharan African countries. Income per capita, transmission and distribution losses, proportion of rural population, population density, dependency ratio and savings were found to affect electricity access consistently in Sub-Saharan Africa. The results further revealed that the credibility of government – government effectiveness has also hindered electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa. Access to electricity as revealed by the results is a normal and necessary good. The findings have considerable lessons for policy interventions that will aid in reducing poor electricity consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa.