African cities by night

[SBGroup]

Africa has big challenges in meeting its electricity demand. It is expected that power demand will increase 93% between today and 2035.

While improving, the household electrification rate in Africa stands at just 43%, leaving 600 million people and 10 million small- and medium-sized businesses without access to power.

The electrification rate is much higher in the urban areas (65%) than in the rural areas (28%).

But Africa has huge energy reserves. If the continent reinvested just 5% of its oil and coal export revenue, it could achieve modern energy for all by 2030, indicates data from the African Development Bank.

That would light up every corner in Africa, as in the photographs of the cities below.

Kumasi, Ghana by night. Kumasi is Ghana’s second largest city.

Image source: Photo/ Flickr/ Chad Skeers

Nile City in Cairo, Egypt. Cairo is Africa’s most populous city.

Image source: Photo/ Flickr/ Ahmad Hammoud

Djemaa el Fna is a square and market place in Marrakesh's medina quarter (old city), Morocco.

Image source: Photo/ Flickr/ Martin Fisch

View from the Carlton Centre - Johannesburg’s tallest building.

Image source: Photo/ Flickr/ Andrew Moore 

Nairobi at sunset. The city has a population of about 4.5 million.

Image source: Photo/ Flickr/ Make it Kenya/ Stuart Price

Addis Ababa is a city surrounded by hills and new buildings emerge everyday into a crane-dotted sky.

Image source: Photo/ Flickr/ Jean Rebiffe

View of Lagos island, Nigeria. Lagos is one of three megacities in Africa, a megacity is defined as one with more than 10 million inhabitants.

Image source: Photo/ Flickr/ Jollof Malt

In the middle of a road in Lusaka, Zambia as traffic rushes past. Lusaka connects to the country's four main highways heading north, east, west and south.

Image source: Photo/ Flickr/ Adan Ojdahl