10 countries with the most expensive household electricity prices in Africa
We all need access to stable and affordable electricity in our homes in order to be comfortable and productive.
Be it for the purposes of lighting up the home at night, keeping the fan/air conditioner on amid the heat or even for more essential things such as charging phones/laptops and keeping the freezer frozen, African households really cannot do without electricity.
Unfortunately, not only is electricity supply across most African countries unstable, the price for it can also be quite expensive. This is especially so when juxtaposed with some metrics such as the average salaries and GDP per capita in these countries.
In this article, we shall be focusing on the top 10 African countries where households pay the highest prices for electricity.
Do note that the information used here is courtesy of Statista, the global markets and consumer data company based in Hamburg, Germany. The available statistics is dated Q1 2021 and is based on the hourly price rates for electricity across Africa.
Read: Burkina Faso tops African countries importing NTEs from Ghana – GEPA
See the countries below:
- Rwanda: This East African country has the most expensive household electricity price on the continent. According to Statista, Rwandan households pay an average of $0.26 for every kilowatt hour of electricity they get. So, assuming that Rwandans get to have 24-hour electricity, this would translate to $6.24 per day and $194.44 per month.
- Cape Verde: This island country has the second most expensive household electricity price in Africa. Here, one kilowatt hour of electricity would cost a household in Cape Verde $0.25. Again for context, this would translate to $6 per day and $186 per month, assuming households here get access to 24-hour electricity.
- Mali: This West African country comes in next on the third position, with a price of $0.23 for every one kilowatt hour of electricity. Now, Mali does not have constant electricity supply. But assuming it does, this would mean that Malian households would have to pay $5.52 daily and $171.12 monthly for electricity.
- Burkina Faso: This Francophone Western African country has the fourth most expensive household electricity price in Africa. According to our source, one kilowatt hour of electricity in this land-locked country would cost $0.22. And in a scenario where the country supplies 24-hour electricity to households, this would equate to $5.28 per day and $163.68 per month.
- Gabon: Gabon currently holds the record for fifth most expensive African country with most expensive household electricity price. Much like Burkina Faso, a kilowatt hour of electricity here would cost households $0.22. And assuming Gabon supplies 24-hour electricity to every households, this would amount to a total price of $5.28 and $163.68 daily and monthly, respectively.
- Kenya: Households in this East African country also pay an average price of $0.22 for every kilowatt hour of electricity they get. Based on our working assumption, this would equate to $5.28 per day and $163.68 per month.
- Togo: Households in this West African country pay an average price of $0.20 per kilowatt hour of electricity they use. This would amount to $4.8 daily and $148.8 monthly.
- Uganda: Uganda’s average household electricity price is $0.19 per one kilowatt hour of electricity. This would translate to $4.56 per day and $141.36 per month.
- Senegal: In this Francophone West African country, households pay $0.18 for every one kilowatt hour of electricity they use. This would translate to $4.32 per day and $133.92 per month.
- Sierra Leone: Finally, we have Sierra Leone where households pay an average electricity price of $0.15 per one kilowatt hour of electricity. This would translate to $3.6 per day and $111.6 per month.
