Top 10 Sub Saharan African Countries in terms of Electricity Generation 2016
Ethiopia is currently the second populous country in Africa. This can be an exceptional opportunity to strengthen its economy and fight poverty. However, this potential for growth, prosperity and development could be lost if the country is unable to support the job creation and business opportunities to absorb the growing youth population. In fact, improving infrastructure, especially access to electricity, is critical to expand business opportunities and job creation in Ethiopia.
Currently the government is engaged in several mega power generating projects to accelerate the economic growth of the country by providing reliable power supply. Until 2016, the country managed to generate over 10,328 Gigawatt hours, which makes it the 6th biggest in Sub Saharan Africa in electric power generation.
What is unique about electricity generation in Ethiopia is that the power is produced in an environment friendly fashion while many sub Saharan Africa countries generate much of their electricity from fossil sources. Ghana generates 66Pct of its electricity from hydro sources while Ethiopia produces 90Pct of its electricity from the same source. Nigeria and South Africa, two of the leading economies in the continent, produce 17Pct and 1.7Pct of the electric power in their respective countries from hydropower sources.
| Rank | Country | Electricity Generation (GWh) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 261,679 |
| 2 | Nigeria | 31,347 |
| 3 | Mozambique | 18,264 |
| 4 | Ghana | 14,308 |
| 5 | Sudan | 12,441 |
| 6 | Ethiopia | 10,328 |
| 7 | DRC | 10,160 |
| 8 | Angola | 9,835 |
| 9 | Kenya | 9,678 |
| 10 | Cameroon | 7,573 |
Source: African Statistical Yearbook 2017 a joint publication of the UNECA, AfDB, AU
6th Year . December 2017 . No.56
