Note: This piece is a data reference table summarizing 2023 electricity access rates across 16 West and Central African countries, alongside common themes drawn from National Energy Compacts (NECs). It is structured as a supporting data appendix rather than a narrative article.
2023 Electricity Access Rates by Country
Country — Electricity Access Rate — Population — Population Without Access (reference year 2023):
- Benin — 57% — 14,111,030 — 6,067,743
- Cameroon — 72% — 28,372,690 — 7,944,353
- Chad — 12% — 19,319,060 — 17,000,773
- Congo, Rep. of — 51% — 6,182,890 — 3,011,067
- Côte d’Ivoire — 72.40% — 31,165,650 — 8,601,719
- Ghana — 89.50% — 3,378,791 — 354,773
- Guinea — 51.10% — 14,405,470 — 7,044,275
- Liberia — 32.50% — 5,493,030 — 3,707,795
- Mauritania — 50.30% — 5,022,440 — 2,496,153
- Niger — 20.10% — 26,159,870 — 20,901,736
- Nigeria — 61.20% — 227,882,950 — 88,418,585
- Senegal — 74.20% — 18,077,570 — 4,664,013
- Sierra Leone — 35.50% — 8,460,510 — 5,457,029
- Togo — 59.20% — 9,304,340 — 3,796,171
- Central African Republic (CAR) — 17.6% — 5,330,690 — 4,392,488
- The Gambia — 66.9% — 2,759,988 — 913,556
National Energy Compacts
National Energy Compacts (NECs) are business plans developed by governments to present to private sector entities, investors, and other stakeholders, outlining strategies for achieving universal electricity access by 2030. NECs also specify reforms identified by governments, with support from organizations such as the World Bank Group (WBG) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), that are considered necessary to encourage private sector investment in their country and which the governments intend to implement.
The energy sector in these countries is at varying stages of development, underscoring the need for further progress on institutional frameworks, enforcement of existing legislation, establishment of a transparent regulatory approval process for private mini grids, and other sector-wide issues within the power industry value chain.
Common themes and gaps identified across the NECs:
- The level of commitment and maturity regarding mini-grid development differs among various Compacts. In most cases, countries acknowledge the importance of transparent and streamlined licensing regulations, establishing mechanisms for tariff determination, enabling surplus energy integration into the grid, and implementing technical standards such as a mini-grid code.
- In most countries, specialized regulatory instruments and interconnection frameworks remain underdeveloped, with only a limited number establishing precise technical standards for mini-grid interconnection. Notably, Nigeria is the only country with explicit net metering provisions. Additionally, some agreements—such as those between Mauritania and Côte d’Ivoire—include references to tax and customs exemptions for renewable energy equipment.
Recommendations identified across the NECs:
- Adopt an off-grid electrification strategy.
- Establish regulations that provide transparent and streamlined licensing procedures for distributed renewable energy (DRE) and mini-grid operators, along with interconnection terms that explicitly outline protocols for instances when the national grid expands to areas served by existing mini grids.
- Put in place standardized financial models for different project sizes and technologies.
- Put in place attractive tariffs, guidelines, and cost recovery mechanisms.
- Include DRE in national electrification master plans.
- Establish and enforce competitive procurement mechanisms (tenders, PPP frameworks).
- Establish guidelines for unsolicited proposals.
- Develop, adopt, and enforce risk mitigation tools (e.g., guarantees).
- Introduce tax and import duty exemptions for mini-grid and energy storage equipment.
- Adopt and enforce mini-grid codes, including the required technical standards.
Developers assessing where a project stands against gaps like these can benchmark bankability with our free Bankability Scorecard, available in the resource library.
