Can Africa Leapfrog Traditional Energy Systems?
Distributed solar, battery storage, mini-grids and mobile payments could allow Africa to build a more flexible energy system without waiting for the continent-wide expansion of conventional electricity networks.
ET&A Research · 28 July 2026
For much of the past century, economic development followed a familiar energy pathway. Governments constructed large power stations, transmission networks carried electricity across long distances, and national utilities connected households and businesses to a central grid.
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