• Clean sources met 52% of new electricity demand in Africa since 2020

• Renewables overtook coal, reaching 26% of total power generation

• Demand growth outpaces global average, highlighting need for faster rollout

Clean energy sources have met 52% of Africa’s additional electricity demand between 2020 and 2025, driven by new hydropower projects and the expansion of solar and wind capacity, according to data released on April 21 by energy think tank Ember.

As a result, the share of low-carbon energy in Africa’s power mix rose to 27% over the past year.

Natural gas remains the continent’s leading source of electricity, accounting for 42% of total generation in 2025. This comes despite its high cost, which weighs on public finances in several countries, and the continent’s vast renewable potential.

Electricity generation from gas increased by 44% between 2015 and 2025, with producing countries—especially in North Africa, including Egypt, Algeria, and Libya—relying more heavily on the fuel.

Coal remains the second-largest source of electricity, but its share has declined to 24% of total generation. In 2025, coal-based power output fell by 8.1 terawatt-hours (TWh), or 3.3% year over year.

At the same time, renewable energy surpassed coal for the first time, reaching 26% of total electricity generation.

In 2025, renewable output increased by about 22 TWh compared with 2024, a rise of 9.4%. Most of the growth came from hydropower (13.5 TWh), followed by wind (3.97 TWh) and solar (3.87 TWh).

Despite this progress, the potential for renewable energy remains largely untapped. Although Africa is the sunniest region in the world, solar accounted for less than 4% of the continent’s electricity mix last year. Africa also represented just 1.4% of global solar generation in 2025.

The report stresses that faster deployment of clean energy will be critical to meet future demand. Africa accounts for about 19% of the world’s population but only 3.1% of global electricity demand. Most people without access to electricity live in sub-Saharan Africa, and even where access exists, supply is often unreliable and consumption per capita remains far below the global average.

Electricity demand in Africa grew by 3.2% in 2025, outpacing the global average of 2.8%.

Ember recommends that South Africa reduce its reliance on coal-fired power, while North African countries should scale back the role of natural gas in their energy mix. For the rest of the continent, where carbon emissions remain low, the priority is to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030, in line with United Nations sustainable development goals.

Walid Kéfi