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technology (RET). At the current rate of progress, it is asserted that approximately 670 million people are projected to remain without access to electricity by 2030, which is 10 million more than previously estimated (International Energy Agency (IEA) et al. 2022). Additionally, the 2022 Energy Progress Report, which is designed to track the progress of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 (see Figure 1) indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impeded progress toward achieving this goal, which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030 (IEA et al. 2022). Notably, the pandemic has resulted in quite a number of setbacks, such as widespread lockdowns, disruptions to global
supply chains, and the reallocation of fiscal resources to stabilise food and fuel prices. According to the United Nations (UN) (2022) these setbacks collectively hindered advancements in energy access, particularly in the most vulnerable countries – which mostly constitute the developing countries of the Global South. Furthermore, the economies of the Global South regions, which constitute Asia and Africa, were severely affected by the pandemic, resulting in about 90 million people who had previously gained access to electricity failing to afford basic energy services. Consequently, sub-Saharan Africa’s share of the global population without electricity increased from approximately 71% in 2018 to about 77% in 2020 (IEA et al. 2022).
Figure 1: Depiction of Sustainable Development Goal 7 Source: International Energy Agency (2022)
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