In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) energy poverty is a widely spread challenge and access to energy is a key imperative for economic development. With the exponential population growth in the region the pressure on the energy that is available grows and the numbers on energy poverty rise. In an effort to promote change, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, set by the United Nations (UN), encourages to make access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy possible for all. With the global agenda on sustainable energy access and the energy market gap in SSA, entrepreneurs are seeing opportunities. Both local and international entrepreneurs are finding their way in the SSA energy sector.

The 2021 status update from the UN on SDG 7 shows the progress regarding the development of energy access for all is not on track for many countries in SSA. With the time ticking on the SDGs timeline (goals should be achieved by 2030) more research should be done into investigating why entrepreneurs seem to be unable to reach substantial progress with regards to providing sustainable energy. This research aimed to discover the drivers and challenges local and international entrepreneurs are facing in their mission of brining sustainable energy to countries in SSA.