Introduction
The African Development Bank (AfDB) estimates that over 640 million people in Africa do not have access to reliable electricity. This is due to inadequate centralized grid connectivity. Most of these people reside in rural areas. The target of the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), is to ‘ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all’. Rural communities in Africa are still lagging in the implementation of this global target.
Rural areas are sparsely populated; as a result, governments tend to prioritize electrification projects in urban centers which are generally considered to be more relevant for industrialization. Extending power transmission networks from urban to rural areas are logistically challenging and require high investment cost. Consequently, rural communities are better served by decentralized systems. Since the colonial era, rural electrification remains a critical issue in Africa. In recent years however, the deployment of solar mini-grids in rural areas has significantly increased. The impacts of decentralized renewable energy systems extend far beyond electricity access and into a more diverse socioeconomic and environmental aspects of rural livelihoods.
Energy access and sustainable rural livelihoods
The socioeconomic impacts of decentralized energy systems range from reducing household energy spending to other dimensions of human development such as improving life expectancy, quality of education and decent living standards. Well-lit health centers improve efficiency in the delivery of health services, especially maternity and childcare amenities. Electricity generated from solar mini-grids provide a comfortable learning environment for children in rural schools already known to have insufficient education resources compared to metropolitan schools. Solar mini-grids also improve efficiency in agriculture, livestock, fishery and forestry industries in which a significant part of the rural women workforce are situated. Hence, the overall impact of renewable energy mini-grid in rural Africa stretches into health, education, gender inclusion and poverty reduction.
Energy is a key aspect of sustainable development and the clean energy sector is a good source of employment for the rural workforce in Africa. The solar industry provides skills training for technicians including women interested in working in PV installation and maintenance, these opportunities extend to administrative, operations and management jobs in mini-grid projects. Electricity access is also transforming rural agriculture. With the increasing availability of off-grid systems and portable energy devices, local farmers and pastoralists are able to efficiently utilize water pumps for irrigation. Electricity access also enables farmers and traders to efficiently store their produce, maximizing their profits while reducing food waste. Evidently, renewable energy is crucial for sustaining rural livelihoods in Africa.
Energy access and gender inclusion in the digital society
Energy access and women empowerment go hand in hand. When it comes to household activities, women and girls are more impacted by inadequate electricity access. Accelerating affordable energy is even more critical for rural communities in Africa, where domestic chores are predominantly gendered. Women spend most of their time collecting firewood, making charcoal, fetching water, pounding grains, cleaning and washing clothes. These activities tend to be labour-intensive, leaving women and girls with limited time to focus on their education, startup and grow their own businesses, engage in professional development and explore career options. However, with affordable, reliable and modern energy systems, household duties become more efficient allowing women more time to engage in profit-making entrepreneurial ventures. Revenue from business activities helps expand the financial safety net of rural women. Likewise, girls having more time for their studies, gives them better prospects for the future.
Another key aspect that comes with electricity access is the better utilization of information communication technologies (ICT). Energy access is a decisive factor for overcoming the digital divide. For women entrepreneurs, information in the digital society is power as it opens avenues to network with other businesses and connect with a larger consumer base. Without electricity access, digital communication, e-commerce and the use of fintech are almost impossible. The deployment of solar mini-grids in rural communities across Africa has extensively strengthened the inclusion of women in the digital society. During the Covid-19 pandemic, most business activities migrated online. Beyond Covid-19, commercial transactions in the wholesale, retail and service sectors will continue to take place in digital spaces. As global digitalization continues, the need to accelerate energy access for rural communities in Africa is even more vital.
Sustaining rural livelihood through a just transition
Hydrocarbons and coal as well as burning of wood and other solid fuels for energy contribute to carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions, which are detrimental to the ecosystem and biosphere. Greenhouse gasses (GHG) are harmful to humans and the environment. Due to inadequate grid connectivity in most rural areas in Africa, people resort to petrol generators for power, and kerosine, wood and charcoal for cooking and light. Not only do the emissions from these fuels contribute to air pollution, they also induce respiratory problems in humans.
At the macro level, oil and gas exploration is one of the major causes of environmental degradation, acid rain and the destruction of biodiversity. In several communities in Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Nigeria, ecological degradation from the fossil fuel industry has destroyed indigenous agricultural and fishing economies, eliminating diverse areas of rural livelihoods. These problems can be mitigated by a global reduction of fossil-fuel dependency. Adopting renewable energy, largely considered to be more environmentally friendly, is necessary for a global just transition. However, we must not lose sight of the environmental injustice that exists in the metal and minerals extractive industry, the waste dumping that occurs in the process of manufacturing clean technologies, the land use conflicts between indigenous land owners and energy project developers, and other socioeconomic inequalities prevalent in the renewable energy value chain.
Sustainable development requires a holistic approach, this means that in implementing the environmental dimensions of the SDGs, it is pertinent to look beyond counting emissions from already installed solar panels and wind turbines. The poorer regions of the world that suffer the ecological impacts of oil and gas exploration, are now shouldering the environmental burden of the renewable energy extractive industry. Hence, robust environmental policies are needed to address emerging problems in the energy transition spheres.
Conclusion
SDG7 emphasizes the importance of providing affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, and the deployment of solar mini-grids in rural areas foster socioeconomic inclusion and sustainable development. Mini-grids are also a solution for bridging the urban-rural energy divide in Africa. The world has made huge strides in attaining the aforementioned objectives. However, more financing is still required to fully ensure cheaper and quicker delivery of clean energy to rural communities in Africa.
