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There are multiple ways of defining and understanding energy transitions, but many scholars now argue that systemic changes in energy systems require deep transformations in social and ecological dimensions that underpin and support social life, especially in urban areas. These systems and associated infrastructures have been shaped by distinct historical and political processes, which in African contexts involve colonial histories of settlement, spatial planning, and market formation. Accordingly, understanding energy transitions requires accounting for historical path dependencies that are embedded in energy systems, but to date these have received little attention.