Infrastructure resilience and electricity policy in Ghana and Tanzania

Abstract

Electricity provision in Sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by repeated disruptions, persistent unreliability, and accessibility challenges. Concerns about the reliability and security of electricity provision, coupled with the poor governance of electricity utilities in Sub-Saharan Africa, have led to calls for institutional and regulatory reforms. While electricity sector reforms, policy development, and investment strategies have received attention in governance and policy research, there has been a critical lack of engagement between resilience debates and energy policy in the sub-region. Moreover, most research is based on single, national-level case studies, with little comparison across African countries. In this article, based on policy analyses and expert interviews, we assess the extent to which dominant strategies in the electricity sectors in Ghana and Tanzania have built resilience and addressed existing threats and vulnerabilities. We argue that the dominant focus of energy policies and strategies in both countries has been on security and reliability of supply, which neglected a broader view of infrastructure resilience, created new vulnerabilities, and perpetuated preexisting ones while raising critical sustainability concerns. Therefore, resilience assessment should be integrated into energy policies and strategies to anticipate and mitigate unintended negative impacts. Additionally, strategies should be proactively planned and implemented to achieve better outcomes rather than reacting to crises and emergencies. Moreover, critical attention must be given to energy efficiency and renewable energy development as key drivers for building sustainable, just, and resilient electricity systems.