- There is a need to address the 2030 Global Energy Access goal as urgently as possible.
- Adesina insisted that natural gas should be a crucial component of Africa’s diversified energy mix.
Dr Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank Group, stated at a high-level international conference in Berlin that immediate action is required to lessen the world’s reliance on fossil fuels and to maximise Africa’s renewable energy resources.
Adesina urged Germany to make investments in an African future that is cleaner, brighter, and more wealthy during his speech at the Berlin Energy Transition Debate, which the German federal government hosted. Adesina emphasised Africa’s immense potential to lead the world in sustainable development while highlighting the severe energy issues millions of Africans still confront. In 2022, 970 million people lacked clean energy for cooking, and at least 600 million did not have access to electricity.
According to Adesina, for the continent to reach Sustainable Development Goal 7—affordable, dependable, sustainable, and modern energy for all—by 2030, 90 million people must be connected to power annually, and 130 million must stop using unclean cooking fuels. He acknowledged the size of the problem, adding that between 2020 and 2040, Africa’s energy transition would cost an estimated $100 billion yearly.
Adesina insisted that natural gas should be a crucial component of Africa’s diversified energy mix to ensure a secure energy supply for businesses and homes, even though the African Development Bank is leading efforts to unlock Africa’s vast renewable energy potential with 86% of its power generation investments in renewables and a ban on coal energy projects.
The annual Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue is a joint initiative of the German Renewable Energy Federation, the German Solar Association, the German Energy Agency, and consulting firm eclareon. The forum draws a wide range of prominent participants from the energy sector including policymakers and representatives from industry, science, and civil society. It provides a platform for discussion of experiences and ideas on a safe, affordable, and environmentally responsible global energy transition.