AFRICAN countries will need to pool local resources and integrate efforts in order to achieve their long-held energy transition plans amid lack of funding, it has emerged.
Of the reported US$570 billion in investments made towards renewable energy (RE) last year, the continent got less than 3% thus further dragging the continent’s plans to switch to clean energy sources.
Speaking at the inaugural Investment Forum for the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA), held in Nairobi, Kenya, from October 14 to 16, Africa’s leaders and business executives pledged to forge new partnerships to attract investment as well as expand renewable energy capacity.
In a keynote address on Monday, Kenya’s cabinet secretary for energy Opiyo Wandayi said the mismatch between investment and renewable energy potential requires countries to “take bold and deliberate steps to bridge the gap.”
“We believe that through this (APRA) partnership, we can build facilitative networks and mechanisms to accelerate the deployment of renewables across the continent, thereby spurring socio-economic development,” said Wandayi.
“APRA’s dual mission is to provide vision and political leadership at the highest level while accelerating implementation in our respective countries. It is a testament to the commitment of African nations to rapidly scale up all forms of renewable energy to drive resilient and inclusive green growth.”
Under IRENA secretariat, APRA brings together nations such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe, with support from international partners like Denmark, Germany, the UAE, the USA, and IRENA.
The forum met at a time when about 600 million people still lack access to electricity in Africa —home to 17% of the world’s population.
In his submission during a panel discussion, Zimbabwe’s Energy ministry representative Benson Munyaradzi said the continent would need to pool its resources for an effective and inclusive energy transition.
“I think the solution from a regional point of view is that we should have more power pools and if then integrated, we can benefit from the different resources we possess,” said Munyaradzi.
“Africa is endowed with quite a lot of these critical minerals which are essential for energy transition and if we work together as Africans I believe we can transform our economies and industrialise the continent through a green revolution.”