Infrastructure Access

Electricity. Countries with greater income per capita tend to provide greater access to electricity. This finding holds after controlling for geography and demography (figure 2.24). For 1998-2012, the countries with the highest rates of access to electricity are Gabon and Mauritius-with adjusted rates that are higher than those of countries with similar income per capita (for example, Brazil and Mexico). Several LICs in this period have weak performance when compared with the international norm, namely, Malawi, Rwanda, and Lesotho. Over 2008-12, Gabon and Mauritius continued to display higher rates of access in the region. South Africa moved closer to the international norm. There was improvement over time in Rwanda and Tanzania, and Malawi remained the weakest performer in electricity access.

MICs in the region, such as Sudan, Nigeria, and Angola, have access rates that are significantly lower than those predicted by the benchmarking exercise. The same holds for Madagascar and Ethiopia (both countries continue to underperform) among LICs.

Recent figures show that Ethiopia has made good progress in terms of extending access to water services. In urban areas, 93 percent of households now have access to an improved source of drinking water. Yet only 57 percent have access to water nationwide-in line with the Millennium Development Goals target.

Access to improved sanitation facilities. Countries with greater income per capita also tend to have greater rates of access to improved sanitation facilities. For 2008-12, Mauritius and South Africa remain along the international norm, while Gabon appears to have fallen off track (figure 2.25, panel b). Over the past decade, Ethiopia moved from being the weakest performer to being close to the access rates predicted by the international norm. Niger, Togo, and Tanzania continue to have the lowest adjusted rates of access in the region.