Accelerating Green Energy Transition in Africa Through Regional Integration

The document argues that individual African countries often lack the resources to transition to green energy, but regional integration via the AfCFTA can create a larger market to attract investment and skilled labor. It highlights the role of regional power pools and suggests that a strategic shift in EU development assistance toward regional rather than bilateral support, combined with knowledge and technology sharing, could further fast-track the transition.

• Africa faces a severe energy deficit, with over 600 million people lacking electricity and 900 million lacking clean cooking energy, though access varies wildly from 1% in South Sudan to 100% in North African countries like Egypt, Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia.
• The transition to green energy in Africa is hindered by a need for an average annual investment of $70 billion over 15 years, a lack of technical and human capacity across the skill spectrum, and domestic political factors such as fossil fuel subsidies.
• Existing regional power pools in Africa have a combined installed capacity of 33.8 GW, with 28% coming from renewables, but they have been limited by investment deficits, state mistrust, and the dominance of national power providers.
• The AfCFTA can accelerate the green energy transition by scaling regional infrastructure investment, establishing dispute resolution mechanisms to build trust, and facilitating the free movement of skilled labor.
• The Europe-Africa partnership should shift from bilateral development assistance to a regional approach to better support power pools and infrastructure, while prioritizing the sharing of institutional knowledge and the local adaptation of green technologies.

APA

Adeniran, A., & Onyekwena, C. (2020). Accelerating Green Energy Transition in Africa Through Regional Integration. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Policy-Brief-216-adeniran-onyekwena.pdf

Chicago

Adeniran, Adedeji, and Chukwuka Onyekwena. Accelerating Green Energy Transition in Africa Through Regional Integration. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2020. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Policy-Brief-216-adeniran-onyekwena.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Adeniran |first1=Adedeji |last2=Onyekwena |first2=Chukwuka |title=Accelerating Green Energy Transition in Africa Through Regional Integration |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=September 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Policy-Brief-216-adeniran-onyekwena.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{adeniran2020accelerating, author = {Adeniran, Adedeji and Onyekwena, Chukwuka}, title = {{Accelerating Green Energy Transition in Africa Through Regional Integration}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Policy-Brief-216-adeniran-onyekwena.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }