Household electricity prices in Africa 2023, by country

Cabo Verde recorded the highest electricity price for households in Africa. As of September 2023, one kilowatt-hour costs around 0.31 U.S. dollars in the country. Kenya and Mali followed, with households paying 0.22 U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour. Burkina Faso, Gabon, and Rwanda also recorded relatively higher prices for electricity on the continent. On the other hand, Angola, Libya, Ethiopia, and Sudan registered the lowest prices for electric energy in Africa.

Countries usually retain high prices for household and business electricity

In Africa, countries with high electricity prices for households also tend to have higher prices for businesses. For instance, Cabo Verde, Burkina Faso, and Kenya’s energy prices for companies placed them among the most expensive four countries on the continent. As of late 2023, the electricity prices stood at around 0.2, 0.2, and 0.19 U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour, respectively.

Electricity access and reliability vary across the continent

A significant share of Africans still live with no access to electricity. Although almost all of North Africa's population had access to electricity, the other regions had lower electricity access in 2021. Western, Southern, and Eastern Africa had just over 50 percent of their citizens living in electrified areas, while in Central Africa it stood at around 31 percent. Nevertheless, according to a survey, two Eastern African countries ranked highest with the most reliable electricity supply on the continent. Between 2021 and 2023, some 99 percent of Mauritians and 96 percent of Seychellois reported having a supply that worked most or all the time.