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Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s lowest electricity access rate, at only 26%.  The rural electricity access rate is only 8%, with 85% of the population relying on biomass for energy.  This challenging energy security situation is in marked contrast with the abundance of natural resources in the sub-Saharan Africa region, which contains huge potential for electricity generation from renewable energy.  Most importantly, renewable energy can put an end to the reliance of many countries on expensive and volatile imports of fossil fuels such as oil, and can be an avenue for Africa to better exploit the economic opportunities offered by international carbon markets.  This article questions why the up-front investment needed, particularly from the private sector, to seize these opportunities and to accelerate the renewable energy deployment that has to date not materialized in a region where it is much needed.  An analysis of the drivers and barriers to renewable electricity expansion—including the cost and profitability of renewable energy, the structure and design of the local energy sector and the risk landscape in sub-Saharan Africa—shows that to secure private investment, public commitment needs to be demonstrated at the local level.  However, understanding is also needed, both locally and internationally, of how private investment works and how it can be effectively promoted and mobilized through smart public intervention.