Ghana, 2 others to see strong absolute growth in electricity consumption – Fitch Solutions

The electricity’s share in buildings energy use is set to rise from 17% to 19.2% by 2034, Fitch Solutions has disclosed.

This would be driven primarily by rapid urbanisation and rising incomes.

According to the Uk-based firm, major markets such as Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana will see strong absolute growth in electricity consumption, with Nigeria’s buildings sector demand rising 28.9% over the decade.

However, grid instability remains a significant constraint.

“Frequent outages, high T&D losses, and slow grid investment are limiting further electrification, especially in peri-urban and rural areas. As urban population expands, SSA’s [Sub-Saharan Africa] urbanisation rate to exceeding 40% by 2034 according to our Country Risk team, demand for modern energy services, including cooling, will outpace grid reliability improvements”.

It warned that without substantial investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure, electricity access gains will be uneven, with bioenergy and other traditional sources continuing to fill the gap for most households.

Bioenergy to Remian Primary Energy Source

The report continued that Bioenergy will remain the primary energy source in SSA buildings to 2034, with electricity gaining share through urbanisation and income growth, but grid instability will limit further electrification. 

“Traditional bioenergy is forecast to retain dominance in the buildings sector across SSA, accounting for nearly 69% of total buildings energy use in 2034, down only slightly from 71% in 2025. Despite modest declines in its share, overall bioenergy consumption will increase by 8.6% over the next decade, with growth led by Tanzania, Cameroon and Mozambique”, said Fitch Solutions.

It mentioned that the persistent reliance on biomass is underpinned by slow rural electrification and limited access to modern fuels, especially in populous countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana.