REPower Afrika campaign ignites fresh calls for urgent investment in Renewable Energy for Africa

The REPower Afrika initiative has been launched as an ambitious campaign uniting African regional community renewable energy projects to urge financiers and governments across the world to prioritize and increase investments in affordable, reliable and clean energy.

 

Africa is disproportionately bearing the brunt of climate change, with 17 out of the 20 countries most threatened by climate impacts located on the continent.

 

Recent severe weather events, including severe droughts in Southern Africa and heavy rains in Tanzania, Kenya, and Burundi have caused food shortages, fatalities, and displacement. Despite these alarming trends, plans to expand fossil fuel infrastructure, like the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), continue to threaten both people and the planet.

 

The REPower Afrika campaign by 350Africa.org and partners showcases the power and potential of community-led efforts igniting a renewable energy movement across the continent.

 

“REPower Afrika marks the beginning of a transformative journey where communities at the frontline of the climate crisis take the lead in demanding accessible, affordable, and safe energy for all while creating millions of green jobs,” said Landry Ninteretse, Africa Regional Director at 350.org.

 

Communities are standing up against harmful fossil fuels and demonstrating that renewable energy is a viable, equitable alternative. These efforts are fuelling hope for an energy-secure future and freedom from worsening climate impacts.

 

“Africa’s wealth of renewable energy potential presents a great opportunity for the continent to not only address its own energy needs but also potentially lead the global energy transition. By working together with governments, civil society, and community leaders, we can create a supportive environment for community-centered renewable energy solutions, avert climate disaster, and ensure a sustainable future for all. This is the time for Africa and the Global South to replace the obsolete energy model and fuel a development powered by renewables," noted Landry.

 

Urgent Call for Renewable Energy Investment and Policy Support

 

For Africa to realize a just transition to renewable energy, significant investment from financial institutions and developed nations is essential and urgent. African governments must create an enabling framework, enacting policies and regulations that facilitate the deployment of renewable energy and attract substantial investments.

 

“We are witnessing firsthand the devastating impacts of climate change across Tanzania and Africa. From deadly floods and erratic rainfall to prolonged droughts devastating crops and livelihoods, the toll on our communities is profound. Despite global agreements like the Paris Agreement, there's a glaring gap between promises made and the real-life struggles of those most affected. Climate funding often misses the mark, neglecting projects that could directly benefit vulnerable communities. It's time for actionable policies that prioritize clean energy solutions, including tax incentives and local manufacturing of renewable technologies, to secure a sustainable future for Tanzania," said Rehema Peter, Founder of Partnership for Green Future.

 

Renewable energy is not only a sustainable choice but also a driver of economic development. While fossil fuel projects like EACOP are projected to create 200-300 jobs in Uganda, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) projects that renewable energy could generate 400,000 to 1.5 million jobs in East Africa by 2050.

 

Through the REPower Afrika campaign, communities in the EACOP region (Uganda and Tanzania) are showcasing the potential of renewable energy. Solar installations in communities along the EACOP pipeline are improving people's lives, providing light for children to study but also developing green jobs and enhanced energy access whilst protecting the environment.

 

REPower Afrika is advocating for a future where renewable energy powers our communities, protects our environment, and promotes social and economic well-being.

 

Ten gatherings will be taking place across Uganda and Tanzania, with solidarity actions taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria.

 

“It's time to expose the super-rich and the most polluting industries and tax their billions. The money generated by a global wealth tax could help drive forward the renewable energy transition with the kinds of community-driven projects REPower Afrika is putting center stage,” said Agnes Appiah-Hall, Global Campaigns Director at 350.org.

 

COP28: Governments must agree to triple renewable energy this decade and double energy efficiency – UNFCCC head

On the eve of the global climate conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) says COP28 must show a clear agreement to leave fossil fuel dependency behind. 

 

Simon Stiell says governments must agree to triple renewable energy this decade, and double energy efficiency.

 

“Only renewable energy offers safe, affordable, secure energy, as well as far more jobs, stronger economic growth, less pollution and better health for people in every country,” he said.

 

Over 160 world leaders are attending this year’s climate conference, which comes as the climate crisis enters a new phase – and shows its full force, harming billions of people, and costing trillions. 

 

According to Simon Stiell, no country is immune to the climate crisis as everyone is now on the frontlines; “yet most governments are still taking baby steps, when bold strides are urgently needed”.

 

“So – on the eve of the COP28, the problem is clear: business-as-usual is breaking our planet. At the COP28 climate conference, leaders must get to work fixing it,” he said.

 

He expects governments to pick up from the Global Stocktake completed by UN Climate Change this year, by agreeing what bolder actions need to be taken and how to deliver them. 

 

“At COP28, governments must deliver on two time frames: a surge in climate action now, and a springboard for next two crucial years, and beyond,” said Stiell.

 

Last year’s COP in Egypt delivered an historic Loss and Damage Fund, which is important to developing nations starved of climate justice and resilience for long. 

 

Simon Stiell expects COP28 to put real money on the table.

 

“COP28 in Dubai must show that finance is the great climate enabler. It needs to flow to developing in countries in torrents, not trickles, to boost climate resilience right now.

 

“The reality is that without much more finance flowing to developing countries, a renewables revolution will remain a mirage in the desert. COP28 must turn it into a reality,” he said.

  

With the climate crisis hitting every country and every economy, the Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change believes “climate action is a chance to unite around a common cause: survival, justice, prosperity”.

 

He says leaders leaving Dubai after the opening Summit, must have a clear message to their negotiators: “don’t come home without a deal that will make a real difference”.

 

African Climate Summit: Scaling up renewable energy for green growth

Africa has its own challenges, but the continent holds massive potential to contribute to global climate action with its clean energy sources, critical minerals, agricultural capacity, and natural capital. 

 

Africa holds over 40% of global reserves of cobalt, manganese and platinum and is home to 60% of the best solar resources globally. Already, solar is said to be the cheapest source of power in many parts of the continent, while 80% of new power generation capacity is renewables.

 

There is a unified African voice led by the President of Kenya, Dr. William Ruto that the continent is ready to provide leadership and work towards global efforts to decarbonise. 

 

“We therefore have an opportunity to lead the world and show that we can industrialise and prosper – and achieve this in a low carbon and sustainable manner, and make this century, African Century,” he said while addressing the 36th ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. 

 

Unfortunately, renewable energy investment in Africa is lagging behind and funds are needed for Africa to unlock green growth opportunities. In 2022, the continent only received a paltry 0.8 percent of the $495 billion invested in renewables globally. 

 

“We have an abundance of clean, renewable energy and it's vital that we use this to power our future prosperity. But to unlock it, Africa needs funding from countries that have got rich off our suffering. They owe a climate debt. But climate change in Africa is more than just solar panels,” said Mohamed Adow, Director of energy and climate think-tank, Power Shift Africa.

 

The Africa Climate summit is calling for ambitious investments in renewable energy. Currently, Africa needs $133 billion every year in clean energy investment to meet its energy and climate goals between 2026 and 2030.

 

"The renewable energy industry is committed to scaling up the total global capacity to at least 11,000 GW by 2030. Unfortunately, renewable energy investment in Africa is lagging behind. Let us harness the potential of renewable energy in Africa not just for the climate but as a socioeconomic catalyst, for energy security, access and community empowerment towards a sustainable and prosperous continent," said Bruce Douglas, CEO of the Global Renewable Alliance.

 

Proposed funding approaches championed by President Ruto who is the Chair of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) include:

 

1.   A global effort to raise the necessary funds for climate action-targeted taxes, removal of fossil fuel subsidies, and a global fossil fuel tax. 

2.   A global treaty should be established to ensure collective action and effective allocation of funds.

3.   Collective efforts by all stakeholders including governments, multilateral institutions, private sector, civil society, philanthropic institutions and local communities to deliver climate action and build sustainable future.

4.   Representation of Africa in major climate diplomacy events globally.

 

Africa can achieve its sustainable development goals by investing in RE. However, a focus on fossil fuels will see the continent lag behind everyone else as the world begins to switch off fossil fuels to go clean.

 

Data shows that renewable energy creates two to five times more jobs than fossil fuels per dollar invested. Other green economy investments like agriculture, climate adaptation and public transit provide five to 25 times more jobs. 

 

The Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, Kenya from 4-6 September, offers the best opportunity to discuss ways to boost investments that will help communities on the climate frontline to adjust effectively.

 

This meeting should emphasise ways of ensuring communities can live in dignity and to thrive.

 

According to Dr. Olumide Abimbola, Founder and Director of Africa Policy Research Institute, “Africa has much of the minerals that the world requires to power the green transition. What we are seeing is that African governments are looking for ways to make sure that these minerals are not just exported out of the continent, but that value addition happens on the continent, that the minerals power national and regional industrialisation processes.

 

“I am hoping that we see this message come out strongly during the African Climate Summit. But beyond that, I am hoping to see deeper discussions regarding concrete plans for how to make this happen – and the roles that external actors can play here.”

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

Renewable energy in Africa shows can help towards a just recovery from COVID-19

A new report shows that Africa is slowly planning a renewable energy powered future.

Climate justice activist organizations, 350Africa.org and WoMin African Alliance, commissioned the research for Renewable Energy in Africa: An opportunity in a time of crisis before the COVID-19 health pandemic swept across the globe, to map out Africa’s ambition towards dealing with the continent’s other crisis - its energy crisis.

COVID-19 is exacerbating existing developmental issues like access to energy, bringing to attention the need to develop renewable energy as part of a just recovery from the pandemic.  

With the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 impacting lives and livelihoods, governments are searching for solutions.

While some countries have made commitments to increasing their energy coming from renewable sources, there is abundant potential for more to be done. This will not only support decentralised, homegrown development, but will also assist communities across the continent to counter the impacts of the virus and future shocks.

Importantly, for renewable energy to be a success in Africa, the rights and collective decisions of local communities have to be taken into consideration. 

The report shows that by 2030 renewable energy installations are projected to go up to over 77GW. This is a massive increase from the less than 15GW currently operating.

However, by 2030 coal will still have a 43% share of installed energy capacity in Africa. The uptake of renewable energy technologies in the form of geothermal, solar, ocean wave, wind and small hydro, thus falls far short of that of fossil fuels, including diesel and fossil gas installations.

In the context of the global climate, ecological and health crises, more ambitious plans are needed from African governments to leapfrog dirty energy and secure people’s access to clean energy.

“Renewable energy is already well suited to Africa. Many people live out of reach of centralised grids, however in a continent rich in wind, hydro and solar resources, they should be easily deployed to meet the needs of these unserved and underserved populations,” said Landry Ninteretse, the Regional Team Lead for 350Africa.org.

The report, which maps renewable energy projects across ten African countries (Botswana, DRC, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda), shows that where issues have been encountered with renewable energy, they are largely due to the implementation of the projects.

The hugely detrimental impacts of the operation of fossil fuel plants to people and the environment are absent. However, the problems in implementation of large renewable energy projects can mirror those of fossil fuel projects. The report therefore highlights the importance of community participation and consent in the planning of the project, agreement on community benefits including having access and right to the energy produced and the opportunity and ability of the community to own all or part of the project.

Trusha Reddy, Head of WoMin’s Energy and Climate Justice Programme noted that “where renewable energy projects are sited and constructed, it should be done in a way that reduces negative impacts. In constructing renewable energy, we need to be sensitive to the ecological and community impacts - particularly those of women, and to ensure the benefits are shared equitably. We also need to be wary of blindly following an industrial model of renewable energy development which involves massive destructive mining of minerals for components. Different models should be explored.”

Globally, there has been a significant push to move to renewable energy, as it has the potential of not only transforming the lives of millions but is kinder to the planet.

However, in order for renewable energy to be truly transformative it needs to reach the energy and economically poor; the move to 100% clean energy should avoid the old models of energy generation that have denied people access to energy and have resulted in land grabs, environmental destruction, pollution and above all the fueling of climate change. 

New UN standards for assessment of solar and wind energy resources could spur investment in renewables

Renewable energy now accounts for around one third of global power generation capacity, with increases being led by investments in solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind energy.

More than 180 GW of renewable energy were installed in 2018, of which 100 GW were solar PV. As the costs of renewables continue to fall, solar PV and wind energy are now considered cost-competitive on a kWh basis with fossil fuel-fired power plants, and today represent the cheapest options for electricity generation in many countries.

The European Commission has included both solar PV and offshore wind as key components of its long-term strategy for reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.

To accelerate the shift to renewable energy, UNECE has prepared specifications that enable the classification and reporting of solar and wind energy resources in an internationally-harmonized manner.

The new specifications will make it possible to assess wind and solar energy resources in different geographical contexts in comparison with alternative energy sources. The ability of governments and companies to understand and compare competing energy sources is essential for navigating energy transitions and transformations.

The assessments will inform policy decisions on increasing renewable energy investments, with significant potential for climate action. Because solar and wind power generating units are relatively quick to install, the policy decisions could lead to near-term progress on countries’ sustainable energy transition. The technologies have the potential to change fundamentally the way electricity and wider energy systems are organised.

The specifications, developed by an international team of experts, are part of the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC), a global system used by countries and companies to classify and report both non-renewable and renewable resources. UNFC is unique in that it is a system of classification for all energy and mineral resources and it includes accompanying guidelines on addressing environmental and social issues.

Following review and endorsement of the solar and wind specifications by the UNECE Committee on Sustainable Energy at its recent session in Geneva, UNFC is now operational for both solar and wind energy. UNFC is already operational for bioenergy and geothermal energy, and the UNECE Expert Group on Resource Management (EGRM) is developing further specifications for hydropower and marine energy.

The next step for the UNFC solar and wind work will be to develop case studies that demonstrate real-world applications of the specifications and that raise awareness of their value for investments in solar and wind energy production. Importantly, UNFC is applied at the project level allowing management of mixed energy resource portfolios. The Expert Group is soliciting interest from countries and companies to prepare case studies. 

“The UNFC solar and wind specifications are designed to classify solar and wind energy resources in a way that reflects the phases of their development projects while allowing comparison with other energy resources,” said Frank Denelle, Chair of the EGRM Renewable Energy Working Group. “Applying these new specifications in case studies is the next critical step that will demonstrate their unique value to all countries and companies striving to increase their solar and wind energy production through the most effective use of their investments”.

Speaking about the urgency to transition to a sustainable energy future, UNECE Sustainable Energy Director Scott Foster noted “With the solar and wind specifications now operational, UNFC has taken yet another step to becoming the global system of classification for the world’s energy system. We encourage all energy resource stakeholders to use UNFC to optimize their resource portfolios in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, thereby contributing to investment in and development of sustainable energy.”

No room for coal in Africa’s renewable future, says Akinwumi Adesina

African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina has unveiled ambitious plans to scrap coal power stations across the continent and switch to renewable energy.

Addressing a gathering of leaders and officials from almost 200 countries at the United Nations climate talks in New York, Adesina outlined efforts to shutter coal-fired power plants and build the "largest solar zone in the world" in the arid Sahel belt.

"Coal is the past, and renewable energy is the future. For us at the African Development Bank, we're getting out of coal," Adesina told delegates to the Climate Action Summit in Manhattan this week.

The Bank's $500 million green baseload scheme will be rolled out in 2020 and is set to yield $5 billion of investment that will help African countries transition from coal and fossil fuel to renewable energy, said Adesina.

He also talked about plans for $20 billion of investments in solar and clean energy that would provide the region's 250 million people with 10,000 MW of electricity.

"There's a reason God gave Africa sunlight," said Adesina.

Presidents, princes and government ministers from around the world attended the UN's climate summit, as they faced mounting pressure to reduce heat-trapping gas emissions and slow the global rise in temperatures.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres also took a swipe at the "dying fossil fuel industry" and said it was still not too late to keep the global rise in temperatures below the benchmark figure of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

"But it will require fundamental transformations in all aspects of society — how we grow food, use land, fuel our transport and power our economies," said Guterres.

"We need to link climate change to a new model of development — fair globalisation — with less suffering, more justice, and harmony between people and the planet."

The UN says mankind must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to about 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures to stave off the worst-case predictions of scientists.

The meeting was part of the run-up to the international climate talks in 2020, which is the next deadline for countries to make significant emissions reduction pledges under the 2015 global warming deal.

Roadmap provides 36 solutions to cut greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 worldwide

In advance of the 2019 United Nations Climate Summit in New York City, an international group of experts have published the Exponential Roadmap: the 36 most viable solutions to halve greenhouse gas emissions globally by 2030.

The solutions – ranging from solar and wind to electric bikes, commercial shipping and reduced red meat consumption – have the potential to scale rapidly.

Stabilizing Earth’s temperature to significantly reduce risks to societies now requires greenhouse gas emissions to reach net zero by 2050. This translates to cutting greenhouse gases by about 50% by 2030 alongside significant removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“While this scale of transformation is unprecedented, the speed is not,” says report author Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany and co-chair of Future Earth, an international research programme.

“This is now a race against time, but businesses and even entire industries have made many significant transitions in less than 10 years,” he adds.

Christiana Figueres, former head of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Convenor of Mission 2020, a partner organisation in the roadmap, says, “I see all evidence that social and economic tipping points are aligning. We can now say the next decade has the potential to see the fastest economic transition in history. The 2019 Exponential Roadmap is an excellent guide for the necessary journey to net-zero emissions.”

Manuel Pugal-Vidal, leader of the climate and energy practice at WWF, a partner of the report said, “Governments must introduce national targets to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 with targets to cut emissions 50% by 2030. Immediate removal of fossil-fuel subsidies is a priority. Yet policies must be equitable and fair or risk failure.”

“Developed nations with significant historic emissions also have a responsibility to reduce emissions faster. Cities and states – not only countries – will also be important change makers,” he adds.

The report highlights four approaching tipping points that combined will accelerate the transformation: 

• Growing social movements (for example, Fridays for Future) changing the public conversation in parallel with companies and cities stepping up climate action.
• Emerging political support for more ambitious targets, for example countries such as the UK, France, Norway and Sweden adopting laws to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 or earlier.
• Solar and wind energy have reached a tipping point and are now cheaper than fossil fuels in many places. Tumbling costs and rapid innovation of low-emissions technology including battery storage and electric vehicles makes a very rapid transformation almost inevitable. 
• Digitalisation and global communications allow more rapid scaling than previous transformations.  

“This roadmap uniquely focuses on three things. The immediate priorities – reaching peak emissions in 2020 and racing to cut emissions in half by 2030. How we scale the new solutions exponentially. And how we need to think in terms of systems transformation of the whole economy,” says Johan Falk, an expert in exponential strategies, co-lead author and a fellow at Stockholm Resilience Centre and Future Earth, Sweden.

The authors see the circular economy as one of the most significant ways for industries to reduce emissions. “An immediate priority is to build the policy environment for a circular economy. This could provide half of the emissions reductions we need by 2030 from key industry,” says Falk.

The report is a collaboration between academia, business, and civil society groups solutions in six sectors: energy, industry, transport, buildings, food consumption, and nature-based solutions. In the energy sector, the authors conclude the world has reached a tipping point.

”Low cost solar, wind and battery technologies are on profitable, exponential trajectories that will be enough to halve emissions from electricity generation by 2030,” says Tomas Kåberger, lead author of the energy chapter from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. “In some less developed markets, however, support is still needed to ensure these scale,” he adds. However, the report also warns fossil-fuel subsidies remain barriers to exponential growth of renewables and continued investment in fossil-fuel infrastructure is not compatible with the 1.5°C climate target.

In transport, electric vehicles have the potential to reach a 90% market share by 2030, but only if strong policies support this direction. Even shipping is able to reduce emissions 50% with modifications to routes, speed, and fuel types. The world’s largest container shipping company, Maersk, for example, has now committed to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The new roadmap includes findings from several major academic assessments on food system transformation that have been published in the past year, including the EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems and the IPCC climate change and land report.

“Food and agriculture is the dark horse in the fight against climate change. It may be the hardest sector to rapidly halve emissions,” says Brent Loken from the EAT Foundation and lead author of the chapters on food consumption and nature-based solutions.

It will require a dietary transition from high consumption of red meat and ultra-processed foods to a more healthy diet with plenty of fruit, legumes and vegetables. In addition, the roll out globally of more sustainable farming practices. Barriers include poor land-use planning, contradictory subsidies, focus on quick profits, regulatory barriers, insufficient funding, lack of knowledge, and vested interests could slow progress.

But avoiding deforestation, in addition to reforestation and improved land management is a significant opportunity to reduce and sequester greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The authors estimate nature-based solutions could be used to sequester around 9 billion tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030.

The building sector also requires profound changes. Reducing greenhouse gases 50% can be delivered through greater efficiencies in use of building space alongside energy efficient refurbishment and net zero-emission construction.

The second in its series, the 2019 Exponential Roadmap is complemented with a high-ambition narrative, Meeting the 1.5°C Ambition, that presents why the world must aim to hold global average temperature increase to just 1.5°C. Each new roadmap updates solutions that have proven potential to scale and charts progress towards exponential scaling, using exponential strategies needed to cut emissions 50 percent by 2030 or earlier, then doing it again by 2040 and again by 2050. The first was published in 2018 at the Global Climate Action Summit.

Since the first roadmap, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. The report concluded that the economic and humanitarian risks of a 2°C world are significantly higher than one at 1.5°C. Yet if emissions continue at current rates, within ten to fifteen years we will lose the chance to remain in a world at only 1.5°C.