Imagine a recipe that anyone can read, copy and improve. A cook in Lagos tweaks it, and a student in Kigali adapts it to locally available ingredients. That is the value of open-source software and designs: their blueprints are shared rather than locked behind a company’s walls.
Much of what we use daily, from phone apps to websites, runs on code built collaboratively. In a world where a handful of firms control much of our technology, open source argues that the tools shaping our lives should be accessible to everyone to build on and trust.
Nowhere is that idea more urgent than in energy. Connecting people who still live without electricity is too big a job for any one company, country or lab. When one team solves a problem, such as managing customer payments for solar systems or mapping electricity needs, open source lets others build on that solution rather than start from scratch.
That is why I am excited about the Open Source in Energy Access Symposium (OSEAS) in Kigali next week. The third edition of the gathering, which began in Abuja in 2024 before moving to Nairobi in 2025, will bring policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, donors and developers to the CMU-Africa Innovation Hub to turn shared tools into practical energy solutions.
The symposium will also see the official launch of Energy Access Explorer Rwanda, a data platform to support the country’s energy planning and investment. By mapping energy needs, countries can direct limited funding where it will have the greatest impact, attract investors and donors with evidence-based plans, and accelerate progress towards universal, affordable and reliable electricity.
Hosting the gathering in Kigali sends a clear message: Africa is helping shape the continent’s energy future through solutions developed openly for everyone to use.
Access to electricity is about dignity and the right to a full life. Africa has abundant sunshine, wind, hydropower and geothermal resources, offering an opportunity to expand access to clean energy. But natural resources alone will not solve the problem. In 2024, emerging markets and developing economies received only 15 per cent of global clean energy investment. Yet investment in these economies must triple to $2.8 trillion annually by the early 2030s to meet global climate goals. Expanding access requires coordinated planning, data to identify needs, open-source tools to strengthen local ownership and financing that reaches communities most in need.
Consider a familiar statistic: 600 million Africans lack electricity. But where exactly are they? The deficit is unevenly distributed. In 2023, three countries accounted for more than a third of the global shortfall: Nigeria, with 86.8 million people without electricity; the Democratic Republic of Congo, with about 79.6 million; and Ethiopia, with 56.4 million. Across the continent, the deficit is overwhelmingly rural.
Understanding these differences helps identify appropriate solutions and direct investment. Geospatial intelligence allows governments and energy planners to map settlements, existing infrastructure and renewable energy resources. Tools such as Energy Access Explorer combine data on populations, health facilities, schools, farmland and energy resources to identify priority areas. Rather than relying on assumptions, planners can determine where grid extensions, mini-grids or solar home systems will deliver the greatest impact at the lowest cost.
Planning must also account for electricity’s role in economic development. Rural communities need more than household lighting. Farmers require power for irrigation, refrigeration and agro-processing, while small businesses need reliable electricity to operate equipment, preserve products and create jobs. Identifying these productive uses can strengthen demand, make investments more viable and ensure electricity improves livelihoods.
The tools used to develop these plans must be accessible to those implementing them. Open-source tools and data allow governments, utilities, businesses and local analysts to examine, adapt and update plans as circumstances change. They also reduce dependence on external consultants and build technical expertise within local institutions. Plans confined to consultants’ reports risk losing value when those consultants leave. Accessible data and tools enable countries to maintain ownership of their electrification strategies, track progress and adjust priorities as new information emerges.
We have what it takes to make universal electricity access achievable. What is needed now is coordinated planning, open and locally owned knowledge, and equitable investment.
We must commit to reaching the last mile, not merely the easiest connections. Electrification must expand opportunity and give every African a better future.
Ms Mathai is the MD for Africa & Global Partnerships at the World Resources Institute and Chair of Wangari Maathai Foundation
