Electricity Theft in Sub-Saharan Africa: A review

Electricity theft is a significant challenge for energy distributors worldwide, leading to high distribution costs and rising energy expenditures. In South Africa, most energy distributors rely on utilities like Eskom to deliver their energy, which costs them money. Electricity theft also affects local governments and utilities or distributors, affecting their daily operations and reducing personnel capability. The lack of load-limiting devices and illegal connections further strains the utility network, negatively impacting the economy. The paper presents an overview of electricity theft in developing countries focusing mainly on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Furthermore, it aims to recognize the impact of electricity theft on the SSA economy, municipalities, and utilities.