Sustainability energy security: 20 years assessment of the West African Nations using a comprehensive entropy-TOPSIS analysis.

Abstract

Energy security in Africa has become a crucial issue in recent times due to the imminent lack of access to electricity, increasing energydemand informed by economic growth, population growth, and forecasts that point to business as usual on the continent based on these variables. While the West African region has abundant energy resources, they have not yet beentranslated into sustainable energy security, as it pertains to energy availability. This is a persistent challenge that needs to be addressed to support economic growth and social development in the region. Therefore, this study aims to assess the sustainable energy security in five West African countries (Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and Togo), using nine energy security indicators and taking into cognizance, the energy, economic, social, and environmental security dimensions. The entropy-TOPSIS methodology of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) is used in estimating the energy security index across 20 years (2000-2019). The result showed that the situation in Cote d'Ivoire is reported to be "safe" in terms of sustainable energy security. It is reported that in Togo, energy security is at a "dangerous" level, which is ultimately tied to the low energy, economic, and societal security in the country. The findings of this study could be valuable for policymakers working on energy and climate policy at the national and regional levels. Based on the results, it may be necessary to take stronger legal action to ensure the implementation of energy securitygoals in the West African countries, which have struggled to meet their targets and have faced challenges in implementing policies at the desired pace.