Exploring Social Inclusion for Clean Energy and Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Access to clean, affordable, and sustainable energy is a pivotal economic development and environmental sustainability driver. This is particularly necessary in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where energy poverty persists. Despite this region’s vast potential for renewable energy, numerous challenges have hindered successful implementation, necessitating innovative adoption strategies. This chapter presents an analysis of the state of clean energy adoption in SSA, the role of social inclusion in promoting clean energy adoption and the challenges of promoting clean energy adoption using social inclusion strategies in SSA. A scoping review was undertaken using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Seventeen scholarly articles were identified as eligible for inclusion in the final synthesis. Analysis of the identified studies categorises challenges of adopting social inclusion strategies at clean energy projects’ planning, implementation, and output stages. The chapter further provides potential opportunities for involving local communities as stakeholders, building trust, and fostering decentralised energy communities to address these challenges.