In Sub-Saharan Africa, a region comprising 53 countries and over one billion people, more than half of the population (roughly 600 million people) lack access to reliable electricity. Not only is it impossible to develop an advanced economy without it, but something as simple as cooking becomes dangerous-many turn to charcoal, wood, agricultural waste, and animal dung as fuel, which all create toxic fumes.
Akinwumi Adesina, president of the AfDB, describes the initiative's importance this way: "Development is about dignity, and you cannot have dignity without electricity." This perspective underscores the fundamental role that access to electricity plays in achieving human development and quality of life.
Fadhel Kaboub, Tunisian economist and senior advisor with Power Shift Africa, states: "When [the World Bank] talks about being a bigger, better bank, I say please don't get bigger. You've done enough damage." His critique emphasizes the potential negative impact of existing financial structures on developing nations.
Kaboub views such an approach as the modern manifestation of colonialism, leading to structural debt traps and locking the continent at the bottom of the world's economic value chain. This concern reflects broader skepticism toward international financial institutions and their methods.
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