How East African Startups Are Solving the Region's Power Problem
M ore than 360 million people across Eastern and Southern Africa still have no electricity at all, according to the World Bank , and grid connections in the region are being added only slightly faster than the population itself is growing. Extending a national grid to a village of a few hundred people scattered across hilly, low-density terrain rarely makes financial sense for a utility, which is exactly the gap a growing set of East African startups have built entire companies around. Their answer generally isn't "wait for the grid to arrive." It's smaller, faster, and increasingly digital: solar panels sold on a daily payment plan, mini-grids that skip the national network altogether, and financing models built on the same mobile money rails that already reshaped how the region banks. Why the Grid Alone Was Never Going to Get There The economics explain why this problem has persisted for decades despite real investment. Roughly 70% of Kenya's population lives ...
