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

This briefing outlines strategic priorities for a green transition and energy access partnership between Africa and Europe. It highlights Africa's severe energy deficits and the potential of its solar resources, while warning against the contradiction of simultaneous fossil fuel expansion in countries like Kenya and South Africa. The document recommends focusing on 'nexus issues' (agriculture, digital economy, trade), de-risking private investment, and ensuring a 'just transition' through reskilling and gender mainstreaming, all while navigating the socio-economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Africa faces significant energy deficits, with electricity access at 43% and approximately 600 million people lacking access by 2018. Despite having the world's richest solar resources, the region accounts for less than 1% of installed solar energy capacity and received only 5.5% of global energy sector investment in 2018, totaling $70 billion in fossil fuels, $13 billion in renewable energy, and $13 billion in electricity networks.
• The lack of clean cooking services affects more than 70% of Africans, leading to half a million premature deaths annually due to household air pollution from biomass, while also contributing to deforestation.
• To secure political support for the green transition, priority must be given to employment creation, reskilling, and skills development within a 'just transition' framework, with gender mainstreaming as a central component.
• There is a critical need to use public finances and external partner support to de-risk renewable energy and energy efficiency investments, thereby leveraging private sector resources to support the transition.
• The green transition should be integrated with 'nexus issues' to maximize development, specifically linking energy access to the digital economy, agricultural production, agri-processing, and trade, particularly under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
• Several African nations are pursuing contradictory energy paths by developing renewable energy while continuing to exploit fossil fuel reserves. Examples include Kenya developing both the continent's largest wind farm and oil reserves in the Lake Turkana region, South Africa supporting coal and offshore oil/gas exploration, and Uganda, Tanzania, and Mozambique continuing plans for fossil fuel development.
• The COVID-19 pandemic presents both a risk to the momentum of the AU-EU green transition partnership and an opportunity to redesign systems. Key areas for engagement include the implications of Europe's green recovery stimulus and the trend toward 'onshoring' supply chains in agriculture, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals.

APA

BENKENSTEIN, A., & CHEVALLIER, R. (2020). Partnership for a Green Transition and Energy Access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Policy-Briefing-220-benkenstein-chevallier.pdf

Chicago

BENKENSTEIN, ALEX, and ROMY CHEVALLIER. Partnership for a Green Transition and Energy Access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2020. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Policy-Briefing-220-benkenstein-chevallier.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=BENKENSTEIN |first1=ALEX |last2=CHEVALLIER |first2=ROMY |title=Partnership for a Green Transition and Energy Access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=September 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Policy-Briefing-220-benkenstein-chevallier.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{benkenstein2020partnership, author = {BENKENSTEIN, ALEX and CHEVALLIER, ROMY}, 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/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Policy-Briefing-220-benkenstein-chevallier.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }