
ETA Analysis
Africa Has Power but It Cannot Afford to Use It
Africa has power, but it is too expensive to use, as tariffs rise, utilities struggle, and high financing costs limit what the energy transition can deliver.
Vincent Egoro•April 23, 2026


Africa has power, but it is too expensive to use, as tariffs rise, utilities struggle, and high financing costs limit what the energy transition can deliver.

Record capacity, rising access, growing investment. All true. All incomplete. ETA examines the three data pairs that show what Africa's energy transition is actually delivering in 2026.

Nigeria's grid collapsed twelve times in 2024. Lake Turkana's evacuation line has failed repeatedly. The IEA and World Bank have documented Africa's maintenance deficit for years. Vincent Egoro asks why the diagnosis keeps arriving without changing anything about how the transition is financed.