Reliable data is essential for planning and monitoring the effectiveness of energy access, renewable energy and energy efficiency policies and investments. This, in turn, is critical for increasing governments’ capacities to make and implement evidence-based and data-driven policies, and for measuring progress against SDG 7 targets. Within this Activity, the IEA will, as appropriate, develop and make freely available comparable, reliable, country-level energy statistics for sub-Saharan African countries and in particular efforts will be put to release enhanced data for the countries selected to participate to the programme. The IEA will also ensure the data availability beyond the duration of the programme.