There is an electrification rate of around 20% in all the G5 Sahel countries; this is two times less than the Sub-Saharan African average and four times less than the global average.
Electricitý is first and foremost a public service, characterized by the absence of competition and by production that is too limited to cope with demand. The companies responsible for the networks are weak in both technical and financial terms. Improving public electricity services therefore requires more efficient management of the sector, to reduce losses, improve the operators’ financial health and ensure that people (including the most deprived) have access to reliable, clean and affordable electricity. Electrification essentially occurs through a connection to the grid, due to the lack of funding to develop renewable energy, despite the plentiful sunshine enjoyed by the region. As a consequence, innovation is the other key factor in developing the electricity sector. Innovative solutions must be found to reduce the cost of new energy sources, improve device efficiency, and digitize infrastructures and decentralized services.

The objectives to be achieved in this sector are as follows:

• Promoting universal access to reliable, lasting and modern electricity services, paying specific attention to access in the rural environment
• Improving the security of supply paying specific attention to renewable energy and regional interconnections