This blog article by Investure discusses the state of SDG 7 and highlights the urgent need to increase funding in the face of COVID-19 which is threatening to revert past progress.
Photo by Appolinary Kalashnikova
The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are defining steps to take in order to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. SDG 7 aims to achieve access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Energy is a driving force of the modern world and central to every major challenge and opportunity alike.
Great progress has been made towards SDG 7, as 90% of the global population has access to electricity. The number of people without access to electricity dropped from almost 860 million in 2018 to 770 million in 2019, a record low in recent years. Despite this, access in developing countries is still very low with Sub-Saharan Africa having the biggest deficits.
Around 580 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lacked access to electricity in 2019, three-quarters of the global total. In 2020, only 48% of the people in Africa had access to electricity which is far below the global average of 90%.
Around 580 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lacked access to electricity in 2019, three-quarters of the global total. In 2020, only 48% of the people in Africa had access to electricity which is far below the global average of 90%.
Past progress made towards SDG 7 is being reversed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In sub-Saharan Africa, while the number of people without access to electricity has steadily declined since 2013, it is now set to increase in 2020, pushing many countries farther away from achieving the goal of universal access by 2030. The pandemic has put this progress into reverse, with the number of those lacking electricity in Africa rising to more than 590 million people in 2020, 2% increase, from 2019.
Read the full article here https://www.investure.co/post/financing-sustainable-clean-and-affordable-access-to-energy-for-all