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.

Two recently publications highlight past experiences of AU-EU cooperation and suggest using the established partnership on energy as an avenue for enhanced climate cooperation.