Top 10 Countries with the Cheapest Electricity Rates in Africa (2025)

Electricity powers homes, businesses, and industries, but the cost of accessing it differs sharply across Africa. According to GlobalPetrolPrices.com’s 2023–2025 average electricity data, some countries provide households with some of the cheapest electricity in the world, while others face some of the highest tariffs on the continent.

These variations are influenced by several factors, including energy resource availability, government subsidies, infrastructure efficiency, and the overall health of the power sector.

At one end of the spectrum is Ethiopia, where residential electricity costs an astonishingly low USD 0.006 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), making it among the cheapest globally. Sudan follows closely at USD 0.007/kWh, while Angola and Zambia also maintain prices below USD 0.03/kWh.

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These ultra-low rates are often supported by heavy subsidies and abundant, low-cost generation sources such as hydropower. However, affordability does not always guarantee reliability, as many of these markets still struggle with frequent power cuts and limited access, particularly in rural communities.

In contrast, countries such as Cape Verde, where households pay an average of USD 0.327/kWh, and Sierra Leone, with prices around USD 0.224/kWh, face significantly higher tariffs. Such costs are largely driven by reliance on imported fuel, smaller and less efficient grids, and limited domestic energy production.

These challenges increase the financial burden on households and raise business costs, slowing economic growth and restricting industrial expansion.

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Affordable electricity is vital for social and economic development. For households, it reduces the cost of cooking, lighting, and digital connectivity. For businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, lower tariffs translate into reduced operational costs and improved competitiveness.

Governments that maintain low tariffs often use affordable energy as a tool for industrialisation and improving living standards. Yet, excessively low prices risk underinvestment in infrastructure, creating a fragile balance between affordability and sustainability.

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The diversity of electricity pricing highlights the broader policy and resource dynamics across Africa. Countries with abundant hydropower or natural gas reserves often produce cheaper electricity, while those reliant on imported diesel or heavy fuel oil are more vulnerable to global price swings, currency depreciation, and supply chain disruptions.

This report highlights the ten (10) African countries where households pay the least for electricity, based on the latest GlobalPetrolPrices.com data. Below, we present a ranked list of these countries, beginning with the absolute cheapest.

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