Abstract
In this paper, the authors discuss the problem of the influence of the level of electrification in African countries on their sustainable development. The first aim of the article is to determine the relationship between changes in the electrification index and changes in the indicators showing individual components of sustainable development for African countries. The analyzed indicators of sustainable development include GDP per capita, Human Deveopment Index (HDI), and the CO2 emissions per capita indicator. The second goal of the article was to develop a synthetic indicator of sustainable development. This study uses the method of relationship research based on Gray Systems Theory—Gray Incidence Analysis. The main conclusion from the research carried out is that improving access to electricity is a necessary condition for the sustainable development of African countries. The lack of improvement in the availability of electricity is a basic barrier to development, especially in the poorest African countries.