The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) have signed an agreement aimed at supporting African countries in their efforts to achieve the African Union’s Agenda 2063 – and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
The agreement was signed recently by IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera and AUDA-NEPAD CEO Nardos Bekele-Thomas on the margins of Africa Climate Week in Nairobi.
Commenting on the agreement, the IRENA Director-General said, “Acknowledging that 80% of the global population without access to electricity resides in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is evident that the existing energy infrastructure cannot adequately meet the continent’s needs. The creation of a more equitable energy system – one that leverages a diverse mix of Africa’s abundant renewable resources – is dependent upon a more interconnected, flexible and reliable power grid in the region. This partnership serves as a pivotal step toward achieving that objective.”
AUDA-NEPAD CEO, Nardos Bekele-Thomas underscored the findings of the Continental Power Systems Masterplan (CMP), designed to provide a strategic roadmap for connecting Africa’s five power pools, emphasising the critical need for immediate and proactive measures in Africa’s electricity sector. She highlighted, “The current business as usual trajectory falls significantly short of achieving universal electricity access by 2040, necessitating a substantial increase in investments to elevate the continent’s installed capacity from 266GW to approximately 1,218GW.
