Boosting Africa's Energy Transition - Initiatives, Funding and Investment

In Africa, 43% of the population does not have access to electricity, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency. Increasing access to a clean, decarbonized, and decentralized energy supply is therefore critical for the continent.

The growing focus on the energy transition can benefit Africa in numerous ways, including that the continent is already in the process of harnessing its vast supply of renewable energy to generate power and is also gearing up to increase trade in its large store of critical minerals, needed for the global energy transition. To enable this transition, countries across Africa are implementing policies that take into account the energy crisis, the need for a renewable energy supply that addresses climate change and the commitments made under the Paris Agreement. In addition, many countries in Africa and other jurisdictions are launching initiatives and providing funding, investments and grants for African renewable energy projects.

In this article, partners Kieran Whyte and Angela Simpson from our Johannesburg office, partner Lamyaa Gadelhak from our Cairo office and partner Adnan Doha from our Dubai office provide recent examples of the funding and grants that countries in Africa and around the world have announced or launched and discuss the initiatives to boost investment within the continent.