Partnership for a Green Transition and Energy Access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe

The document argues for a comprehensive AU-EU partnership on the green transition and energy access that moves beyond a risk-based lens to address Africa's developmental goals. It highlights the critical need to expand electricity access, leverage private investment through de-risking mechanisms, and integrate nexus issues such as agriculture and the digital economy. While acknowledging the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the briefing suggests the crisis offers an opportunity to redesign the partnership to ensure a just transition that includes skills development and gender mainstreaming.

• Electricity access in Africa is significantly lower than in other comparable regions, with approximately 600 million people lacking access by 2018, representing nearly half of the continent's population.
• Despite having the world's richest solar resources, Africa's share of global energy sector investment is low, accounting for only 5.5% in 2018, with less than 1% of installed solar energy capacity.
• Lack of access to clean cooking affects over 70% of Africans, resulting in 500,000 premature deaths annually due to household air pollution and contributing to deforestation.
• To increase renewable energy and energy efficiency investment, there is a need for public finances and external partner support to de-risk investments to attract private sector capital.
• A successful green transition requires addressing 'nexus issues' where energy access intersects with other sectors, specifically agriculture, the digital economy, and trade.
• Securing political support for the green transition depends on prioritising employment creation, reskilling, and skills development within a 'just transition' framework, with a central focus on gender mainstreaming.
• Some African nations are pursuing contradictory energy paths by developing renewable energy while simultaneously expanding fossil fuel exploitation; examples include Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, and Mozambique.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2020). Partnership for a Green Transition and Energy Access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe. https://saiia.org.za/research/partnership-for-a-green-transition-and-energy-access-strategic-priorities-for-africa-and-europe/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Partnership for a Green Transition and Energy Access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe. 2020. https://saiia.org.za/research/partnership-for-a-green-transition-and-energy-access-strategic-priorities-for-africa-and-europe/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Partnership for a Green Transition and Energy Access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe |date=29 September 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/partnership-for-a-green-transition-and-energy-access-strategic-priorities-for-africa-and-europe/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2020partnership, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Partnership for a Green Transition and Energy Access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/partnership-for-a-green-transition-and-energy-access-strategic-priorities-for-africa-and-europe/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }