Africa’s Vast Energy Resources Contrast With Over 560 Million Lacking Power

During African Energy Week in Cape Town, a visual explainer outlined Africa’s energy endowment, noting roughly 125 billion barrels of proven crude oil - about 7.2 percent of global reserves - and almost 18 trillion cubic metres of proven natural gas, concentrated mainly in Libya, Nigeria, Algeria and Mozambique. The continent also supplies the majority of cobalt, manganese and a significant share of lithium and graphite used in electric-vehicle batteries and renewable-energy storage, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Gabon and Zimbabwe leading production.

Renewable electricity dominates generation in Ethiopia and the DRC, yet overall access remains uneven; six countries achieved universal coverage, while nations such as South Sudan and Malawi report access rates below 25 percent. Nigeria, the most populous nation, still leaves about 85 million people without power. In total, more than 560 million Africans lack electricity, representing roughly 86 percent of the global un-electrified population, according to the World Health Organization.