logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
13m 35s

How is Africa doing with solar power?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Africa’s is the most sun-rich continent in the world – and yet, over 570 million people in sub-Saharan countries have no access to electricity. So, why aren’t these countries tapping into the potential of solar power? And what role can entrepreneurs play in solving energy shortages?

Host: Alan Kasujja (@Kasujja on Twitter) Guests: Victor Koyier, analyst, Africa Solar Industry Association; Andrew Ssentongo, founder of GRS Commodities.

#AfricaDaily

Up next
Oct 2025
Tanzanian elections: What issues are young people concerned about?
As Tanzania gears up for elections on 29 October, we hear from two young people about the issues that matter to them and whether youth concerns have been featured in the electoral campaigns.How a young Senegalese footballer's dream of joining a professional club ended in tragedy ... Show More
33m 44s
Oct 2025
Focus on Africa: Hundreds of stolen social media identities used to spread propaganda
A BBC investigation uncovers dozens of social accounts using stolen identities of Somali and Muslim influencers and posting political propaganda content. We hear more about what was uncovered and who might be behind this widespread operation.Chad’s parliament has overwhelmingly a ... Show More
32m 11s
Oct 2025
Focus on Africa Can DRC be declared ebola free?
The last ebola patient in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been released from a treatment centre in Kasai province. Can the country now be declared free of this latest outbreak?What is behind the escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea over control of the Red Sea ... Show More
29m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2019
How to bring affordable, sustainable electricity to Africa | Rose M. Mutiso
Energy poverty, or the lack of access to electricity and other basic energy services, affects nearly two-thirds of Sub-Saharan Africa. As the region's population continues to increase, so will the need to build a new energy system to grow with it, says Rose M. Mutiso. In a bold t ... Show More
12m 55s
Mar 2024
Meet mini-grids — the clean energy solution bringing power to millions | Tombo Banda
Hundreds of millions of people lack access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa, relying on highly polluting diesel and firewood for power and light. Working to brighten the future in her home country of Malawi and beyond, energy access innovator Tombo Banda makes the case for mi ... Show More
10m 32s
Jan 2024
When solar power leaves you feeling burned
The potential of rooftop solar is being squandered. Time’s economic correspondent Alana Semuels reports a cautionary tale, and writer Andrew Moseman explains why the country isn’t ready for a solar revolution. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, f ... Show More
25m 14s
Aug 2021
Can we run the world on electricity?
The target for many countries around the world is to reach net zero emissions within the next few decades. That means a dramatic move away from fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas. For some the answer to the problem is to boost “green” electricity production, so that we can run o ... Show More
23m 36s
Mar 2023
The clean energy hub of the future | Rebekah Shirley
Why aren't more people investing in Africa's green energy? Environmental researcher Rebekah Shirley outlines the continent's immense potential for renewable power and calls for collaborative international investment -- and partnership -- in Africa's climate future. "Let's cut pas ... Show More
8m 14s
Mar 2025
Mission 300: Powering Development in Sub-Saharan Africa | The Development Podcast
Many of us take turning on a light switch or connecting our devices to a home Wi-Fi network for granted. If our phones need charging, we plug them in, if we want hot water we boil a kettle. These are things we don’t think about, because we don’t have to. But around 600 million pe ... Show More
30m 39s
Jun 2022
Space Power: Utilizing satellites to bring electricity to the most vulnerable groups in Sub-Saharan Africa - Camila dos Santos Gonçalves and Grace Chenxin Liu of the New York Academy of Sciences
According to the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021, although 46% of sub-Saharan Africa's population now has access to electricity--up from 33% in 2010--the region is far behind the global average of 90%. 97 million people in urban areas and 471 million in rural areas are ... Show More
21m 51s
Aug 2021
Electrifying Sierra Leone
Bringing electricity to his village for the first time, we speak with Jeremiah Thoronka in Sierra Leone about the challenges of energy inequality in the country. As a teenager, using kinetic energy, Jeremiah changed the lives of hundreds of people – we speak to them to talk about ... Show More
17m 28s