Powering Prosperity: An Urgent Need for Reforms in the National Strategy for Affordable and Stable Electricity in Uganda

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. However, globally, 759 million people, 84% still do not have access to electricity (SEforALL, 2025). As of 2024, approximately 43% of Africa’s population, equivalent to about 600 million people lacked access to electricity, with nearly 590 million of them living in Sub-Saharan Africa (RES4AFRICA & ENEL, 2025). This report highlights that over the period from 2012 to 2022, Africa's electricity generation capacity grew at an average rate of just over 2% per year, which is below the global average of 2.5%. On the other hand, some African countries including Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia have achieved 100% electricity access (ECP, 2022). Some Sub-Saharan African countries such as South Africa, Ethiopia, and Uganda have also made notable progress, but their electricity sector is still challenged with affordability, and stability (World Bank & ESMAP, 2025). In Uganda, electricity is central to its development agenda, underpinning industrial growth, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sustainability, education, health, digital transformation, and the entire economy as reflected in Vision 2040.