Ein Jahr mit bescheidener regulatorischer Klarheit, aber jedes bisschen hilft (EN)

The report analyzes the challenges and institutional developments facing Africa's green technology transition in 2025. It highlights the impact of tightening global trade rules, such as the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the uncertainty surrounding the US African Growth and Opportunity Act, alongside the withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement. The document details continental efforts to mobilize climate finance, integrate regional power markets, and adopt AI for climate action, while emphasizing the need for affordable decarbonization finance to prevent the marginalization of smaller African firms.

• African nations face significant barriers to scaling green technology due to limited finance, inadequate infrastructure, weak regulatory frameworks, and human capital deficits. These issues were exacerbated in 2025 by more stringent multilateral climate rules and domestic fiscal pressures regarding tariffs and subsidies.
• Trade policy uncertainty has disrupted African supply chains, specifically regarding the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). While a one-year extension was signed in February 2026 to cover a lapse, it failed to provide the multi-year certainty needed for long-term investment, and the practical value of the program has been eroded by Trump tariffs.
• The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is scheduled to begin its definitive regime in 2026, which will impose higher border carbon taxes on African exporters. This makes credible measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of emissions essential for competitiveness, risking the exclusion of smaller firms without affordable decarbonization finance.
• Multilateral climate governance at COP30 focused on procedural consolidation and the 'Belém Package', which includes a commitment to triple adaptation finance by 2035 and the creation of the Belém Adaptation Indicators and the Belém Technology Implementation Programme.
• African institutional efforts in 2025 included the Second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, which pledged to mobilize up to $50 billion annually for climate solutions, and steps toward an African Single Electricity Market, including a historic synchronization test by the West African Power Pool.
• AI is being integrated into climate action, with the UNFCCC convening the first AI for Climate Action Forum and the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development using AI for forecasting and agricultural services. However, there are concerns regarding the energy-intensive nature of AI infrastructure.
• National policy responses in Nigeria, Ghana, Tunisia, South Africa, Kenya, and Zambia focused on adjusting subsidy and tariff regimes to improve the financial viability of energy utilities. Specific e-mobility incentives include VAT exemptions for electricity-powered bicycles and buses in Kenya, and VAT exemptions for EVs and charging equipment in Rwanda.

APA

Prempeh, S. (2026). Ein Jahr mit bescheidener regulatorischer Klarheit, aber jedes bisschen hilft (EN). Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/de/ein-jahr-mit-bescheidener-regulatorischer-klarheit-aber-jedes-bisschen-hilft-en

Chicago

Prempeh, Serwah. Ein Jahr mit bescheidener regulatorischer Klarheit, aber jedes bisschen hilft (EN). Africa Policy Research Institute, 2026. https://afripoli.org/de/ein-jahr-mit-bescheidener-regulatorischer-klarheit-aber-jedes-bisschen-hilft-en.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Prempeh |first1=Serwah |title=Ein Jahr mit bescheidener regulatorischer Klarheit, aber jedes bisschen hilft (EN) |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=11 March 2026 |url=https://afripoli.org/de/ein-jahr-mit-bescheidener-regulatorischer-klarheit-aber-jedes-bisschen-hilft-en |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{prempeh2026ein, author = {Prempeh, Serwah}, title = {{Ein Jahr mit bescheidener regulatorischer Klarheit, aber jedes bisschen hilft (EN)}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://afripoli.org/de/ein-jahr-mit-bescheidener-regulatorischer-klarheit-aber-jedes-bisschen-hilft-en}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }