Africa lags in energy access globally. About 640 million people remain without energy access. It is only fitting that the 2022 Sustainable Energy for All Forum is holding in Kigali Rwanda, from the 17th to the 19th of May. The conference aims to unite global stakeholders to highlight efforts, address challenges and drive action towards realising Sustainable Development Goal Seven (SDG 7) and ensuring clean energy transition. This high-level event is also a platform for forming new partnerships and securing investments to drive the global clean energy transition.
Day One – 17th May 2022
Opening Speech by His Excellency, Paul Kagame, President Republic of Rwanda
First, allow me to welcome you all to Rwanda.
We are happy to host you, and thank you for choosing our country as the host of this year’s forum, and we are happy to have it as the first forum in Africa. Over the past decade, significant progress has been achieved toward the 7th Sustainable Development Goal on affordable and clean energy for all. Nevertheless, the Covid pandemic has reversed many of the gains. Today, in Africa, more than half a billion people still do not have access to electricity. This energy crisis coincides with the threat of climate change, to which our continent is especially vulnerable. Switching to renewable energy is crucial. That is why creating an enabling environment to attract investment in sustainable energy is so important. Allow me to elaborate on three ways in which this can be accomplished on our continent.
First, expanding the use of off-grid technologies and stand-alone systems can help bring power to rural communities in Africa more quickly. Second, going forward, we need to integrate industrial policy with sustainable energy policy. We need to plan now to be able to power Africa’s future industries sustainably, but without slowing down our development. The data centres that need to be built in Africa to support the growth of information technology services are one example. Vaccine manufacturing is set to grow in Africa in the coming years. We can work to make the sector green, right from the outset. Lastly, strong public energy utilities are central to access and affordability. They need to be professionally managed and financially viable. By integrating sustainable energy in pandemic recovery plans, we can accelerate the transition to clean power. But the transition must be just and equitable. This means it should align with Africa’s development priorities and aspirations to ensure no one is left behind.
At the same time, there needs to be increased financing to developing countries to support climate adaptation, in line with international agreements. Africa cannot carry the burden alone, especially given that its emissions did not create the climate emergency. However, Africa will be part of the solution. For example, we will contribute through the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain, launched in 2020 by the Governments of Rwanda and the United Kingdom, together with the United Nations Environment Program. This initiative is a concrete effort to help achieve the goals of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). In addition to delivering financial security to farmers, this centre will respond to the growing need for medical cold-chains to store vaccines and medicines.
We have a shared responsibility to ensure that our actions match our ambitions. The diverse group of stakeholders attending this forum is a demonstration of the level of
partnership required to get the job done for our communities and our planet. I wish you productive discussions in the coming days. Once again, thank you for gathering in our country, and I hope you feel at home during your stay here.
I thank you for your kind attention.
Opening Remarks from Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO SEFORALL
Your Excellency, President Kagame, thank you for your presence here today and I would particularly like to thank the Government of Rwanda for being incredible co-hosts for this event. To all our distinguished excellences, partners, and friends – a very warm welcome to those joining us here in Kigali as well as online. It is indeed an honour for the first time to be hosting our SEforALL Global Forum on the African Continent.
This is a landmark global gathering and over the next few days, we will take stock of progress, showcase success, and identify solutions we can take forward together to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 – universal access to clean and affordable energy – and a just and equitable clean energy transition. Energy is the golden thread that will help us achieve all other global development goals, as well as the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement on climate change. Achieving net-zero by 2050 means leaving no one behind. We must act on climate, but we must put people first.
Our theme for this Forum is Driving Bold Action for a People-Centred Energy Transition, which is inspired by two key messages that underpin our work at Sustainable Energy for All, and, I’m sure, resonate with you.
One, people must be at the heart of the energy transition. Our energy future must be clean, but it must also be just, inclusive, and equitable. We must bring electricity and clean cooking to billions of people so that they can have access to the same economic and social opportunities as those who already have abundant energy.
And two, bold and urgent action is needed to end energy poverty and secure climate justice for billions of people around the world. We must act now to save our planet from climate change, and protect the most vulnerable from its effects. Developing countries need the world’s support through clean energy offers to build energy systems that support economic development.
Yet today, nearly 759 million people live without access to electricity, and 2.6 billion are without clean cooking solutions. This is unacceptable. We must recognise that addressing energy poverty, enabling a clean energy future, and ensuring development and economic opportunity go together.
Through the Forum, SEforALL, with all of you here today, aims to shape what a just and equitable energy transition would look like across economies at distinct stages of development. We recognise that low-emitting, energy-poor countries must provide for the growth, development, and aspirations of their populations while also achieving their net-zero targets. Countries in Africa and Asia have unique challenges that must be considered and addressed to get them from where they are today to a clean energy future that leaves no one behind.
We must raise ambition and significantly scale up finance and investments for clean energy, through innovative mechanisms such as results-based financing.
Here at this Forum, we are building on the success of the UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy last year where a range of stakeholders submitted over 200 Energy Compacts reflecting actions and finance commitments for SDG7. This includes funding of over USD 600 billion for access and transition; and partnerships aimed to leverage billions more in additional finance that would improve energy access for over a billion people. This is an important moment on our road to COP27 and beyond.
Several bold and ambitious announcements will be made over the next few days, and I want to thank all of you here for your commitment towards achieving SDG7 and accelerating a people-centred clean energy transition.
I also want to thank all our sponsors for making this happen and a special thank you to our longstanding partners, including AllOn, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, Rockefeller Foundation and OPEC Fund for their platinum sponsorship at this event.
Once again, I thank all of you for being a part of this global SEforALL Forum.
Opening Remarks from Michael Bloomberg, CEO of Bloomberg LP
Hello, everyone! Thanks for being a part of this critically important forum. And let me thank President Kagame … and the team at Sustainable Energy for All.
Today, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced ambitious new plans to expand our work in helping developing countries scale up clean energy and avoid building new coal plants. Each of the countries where we’re working has a growing population, a growing economy, and growing energy needs – and strong partners committed to clean energy.
We’re bringing together an outstanding group to join us in this work – including Sustainable Energy for All, ClimateWorks Foundation, and the International Solar Alliance. I want to thank them for their leadership – as well as Secretary-General Guterres, who has also been a global champion for ending coal and promoting clean energy. Investments in clean energy also reduce pollution, create new jobs, grow the economy – and protect communities from harm.
We have to make it easier to make those investments – especially in developing countries that have contributed the least to the climate crisis but are facing the most devastating effects.
Africa can help lead the way. So thanks again for being a part of this work – and all the best.
Some other News from the Day:
- Bloomberg Philanthropies committed USD 242 million to accelerate the clean energy transition in 10 developing countries. Making the announcement Michael R. Bloomberg said, “We’ve seen that it’s possible to increase access to affordable power, improve public health, and fight climate change all at the same time – and to make progress quickly in each area. We have to spread that success around the world, especially in developing countries that have contributed the least to the climate crisis but are facing the most severe effects. This support will help ten countries with enormous clean energy potential seize the opportunity and avoid building new coal plants.”
- Ministers from African countries participated in a private Ministerial roundtable, with the aim of building a narrative for what constitutes a just and equitable energy transition in Africa, and to help guide commitments and actions on energy access and transition on the road to COP27.
- SEforALL launched the Chilling Prospects research report that identified 1 in 7 people globally are at high risk due to lack of access to cooling and numbers will continue to rise by 2030 without action to achieve universal electrification and end extreme poverty.
Follow this page for updates in the Forum!
Day Two – 18th May 2022
Following the Africa Ministerial Roundtable on Day1, some of the outcomes agreed to by the ministers include;
- Development of gas as a transition fuel and future displacement of gas by renewables and green hydrogen;
- Prioritise the creation of jobs in the new economy;
- Lift finance restrictions that limit African countries from ramping resource mobilization.
- Pursue a modern energy minimum of 1,00kW per capita.