Around the world, climate change poses a systemic risk to economies and societies. In the wake of COVID-19, these risks and impacts have been exacerbated, and many countries are responding to the pandemic with economic stimulus packages. These impacts can stretch the energy sector’s capacity and impede a country’s ability to cope with the crisis and economic downturn. The pandemic does not dampen the need for clean and reliable energy access which remains a major challenge in Africa. Supporting grid and off-grid solutions is therefore a major opportunity in the context of national stimulus and recovery programmes.
The recovery from COVID-19 needs to support the move towards clean and affordable energy for all that ensures resilience, reliability and poverty reduction. Clean energy transition across Sub-Saharan Africa has significant potential to accelerate the low-carbon transition, stimulate a Green Recovery and spur sustainable and inclusive growth. Where access to electricity is low or supply is intermittent, a mixture of grid and off-grid solutions is key to ensure development happens when and where it is needed, in a coordinated, efficient and resilient way. This requires policy for optimal and coordinated technology deployment, improvement of data quality to inform policy decisions and capacity building through the provision of training at national, federal, and sub-national levels and knowledge sharing activities.
Sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria)
Strengthening institutional capacity on policy and technology areas at the national, federal, and sub-national levels to accelerate the integration of low-carbon grid, mini grid and off-grid solutions (including productive use of electricity) and remove roadblocks
Improving data quality and data sharing to provide a more robust evidence base to inform decision-making
Developing timely and cost-effective clean energy transition pathways and energy scenarios
Preparing and delivering action plans, including policy and regulation, to integrate and interconnect clean off-grid and grid technologies and enhance electricity access, resilience and reliability
Developing grid and off-grid energy management awareness, including energy efficiency
Financing renewable infrastructure projects
Investing to commercialise new technologies
Reconciling existing databases
Clean cooking projects
