the already large sums allocated and the leveling of disbursements (UNECA 2018;
UN 2019) (Sect. 1.2.17).
It is worth mentioning that often a major challenge for effectively delivering clean
water and sanitation solutions in SSA is the actual approach for designing and
implementing these solutions (GIZ 2019). Various scholars have pointed that
many of the current sanitation solutions deployed across SSA might not reflect
necessarily the needs and values of local communities. On the contrary there are
biases towards solutions and sanitation ‘ideals’ that were developed in the global
North and are far removed from local realities and sensibilities (Chap. 4 Vol. 2).
There have been many examples of such systems being underutilized upon completion, suggesting the loss of valuable resources (WHO 2018b; AfDB 2015b). In this
respect, a major challenge would be to include meaningfully local communities in
the design, delivery and operation of appropriate systems that meet local needs, as a
means of ensuring their sustained use (WHO 2018b).
Finally, data and knowledge gaps are another major challenge both for understanding current baseline conditions and the progress needed to meet SDG targets
(UNECA 2018), as well as designing and implementing appropriate interventions
(WHO 2018b). For example, data about the proportion of the population using safely
managed drinking water services are available only for a handful of SSA countries,
with many similar data gaps for other crucial indicators (UNECA 2018).
1.2.7 SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
In many SSA countries, energy systems are antiquated, not dependable and cannot
meet the demand of the growing and increasingly urbanized population (IEA 2019).
Despite the substantial progress in electrification over the past decades (Fig. 1.8),
only 43% of the population had access to electricity in 2016 (ESMAP 2019).
5 This is
by far the lowest electrification rate among regions globally (UN 2019). The absolute
number of electricity access-deficit people peaked in 2015 at 595.3 million people,
and began to decrease for the first time in 2016 (by 28.5 million people) (ESMAP
2019). Rural areas have much lower electrification rates (17% in 2014) compared to
urban areas (70%) (UNECA 2018). Similarly, only a small fraction of the population
has access to clean cooking options, relying instead on traditional biomass fuels and
inefficient stoves that are damaging to human health and the environment (UN 2019;
UNECA 2018). For example, only 26% of the SSA population has access to clean
cooking technologies and fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), biogas, solar
and/or improved biomass cookstoves (ESMAP 2019). It is worth mentioning that
despite the large share of renewable energy in total final energy consumption
5 Electrification rates vary significantly between sub-regions, ranging from 20% in central Africa, to
37% in eastern Africa, 48% in southern Africa, and 56% in western Africa (UNECA 2018).
18
D. Juju et al.
UN 2019) (Sect. 1.2.17).
It is worth mentioning that often a major challenge for effectively delivering clean
water and sanitation solutions in SSA is the actual approach for designing and
implementing these solutions (GIZ 2019). Various scholars have pointed that
many of the current sanitation solutions deployed across SSA might not reflect
necessarily the needs and values of local communities. On the contrary there are
biases towards solutions and sanitation ‘ideals’ that were developed in the global
North and are far removed from local realities and sensibilities (Chap. 4 Vol. 2).
There have been many examples of such systems being underutilized upon completion, suggesting the loss of valuable resources (WHO 2018b; AfDB 2015b). In this
respect, a major challenge would be to include meaningfully local communities in
the design, delivery and operation of appropriate systems that meet local needs, as a
means of ensuring their sustained use (WHO 2018b).
Finally, data and knowledge gaps are another major challenge both for understanding current baseline conditions and the progress needed to meet SDG targets
(UNECA 2018), as well as designing and implementing appropriate interventions
(WHO 2018b). For example, data about the proportion of the population using safely
managed drinking water services are available only for a handful of SSA countries,
with many similar data gaps for other crucial indicators (UNECA 2018).
1.2.7 SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
In many SSA countries, energy systems are antiquated, not dependable and cannot
meet the demand of the growing and increasingly urbanized population (IEA 2019).
Despite the substantial progress in electrification over the past decades (Fig. 1.8),
only 43% of the population had access to electricity in 2016 (ESMAP 2019).
5 This is
by far the lowest electrification rate among regions globally (UN 2019). The absolute
number of electricity access-deficit people peaked in 2015 at 595.3 million people,
and began to decrease for the first time in 2016 (by 28.5 million people) (ESMAP
2019). Rural areas have much lower electrification rates (17% in 2014) compared to
urban areas (70%) (UNECA 2018). Similarly, only a small fraction of the population
has access to clean cooking options, relying instead on traditional biomass fuels and
inefficient stoves that are damaging to human health and the environment (UN 2019;
UNECA 2018). For example, only 26% of the SSA population has access to clean
cooking technologies and fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), biogas, solar
and/or improved biomass cookstoves (ESMAP 2019). It is worth mentioning that
despite the large share of renewable energy in total final energy consumption
5 Electrification rates vary significantly between sub-regions, ranging from 20% in central Africa, to
37% in eastern Africa, 48% in southern Africa, and 56% in western Africa (UNECA 2018).
18
D. Juju et al.