Supporting energy access in Africa is a shared priority for Africa and Europe. Access to energy underpins the development of key social infrastructures and services, such as healthcare and education. Additionally, advancing energy access on a large scale can boost the economic development and the industrialisation of Africa.

The 3rd ordinary session of the Specialized Technical Committee on Transport, Transcontinental, and Interregional Infrastructures, and Energy (STC-TTIIE) on 28th to 30th June 2021 agreed on collaborative efforts to further develop the African energy sector.

On 3 June 2021, the African Union (AU) launched the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM), which paves the way for one of the largest electricity markets in the world. It is also a major milestone in the work carried out in partnership between the AU and the European Union (EU) to harmonise the African electricity market.