High-level Policymakers Discuss Accelerating Implementation of Joint Africa-EU Energy Initiatives at BETD
On 20 March 2024, at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD), the Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP) and the Africa-Europe Foundation (AEF) co-organised an Africa-Europe high-level policymaker meeting to foster bicontinental partnership under the theme: “Fostering Africa-Europe energy cooperation: Implementing commitments and realising Africa’s energy transformation”. The dialogue was hosted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, in Berlin, with opening statements by Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Under the moderation of Johan van den Berg, Head of Secretariat, Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP), and James Mwangi, Co-founder of the Climate Action Platform for Africa (CAP-A), 26 African and European representatives from the public and private sector, and NGOs discussed how to move from pledges to action for a successful African energy transformation. Participants discussed next steps for concrete action in line with the Nairobi Declaration, signed by African heads of states at the Africa Climate Summit (ACS) in September 2023 and the final agreement at COP28.
Participants discussed how to achieve the global goals of tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency improvements by 2030 through the implementation of existing joint initiatives, such as the Continental Power System Masterplan (CMP) and Africa Single Electricity Market (AfSEM), both supported by the EU under the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative (AEGEI). Participants also underlined that Africa’s plan, as outlined in the CMP and AfSEM must be respected by partners when drawing up new forms of support. Complementary initiatives such as the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA), an Africa-led partnership to support the mobilisation of private sector finance, technical assistance, and capacity building to accelerate the deployment of renewables in Africa, were also mentioned as vehicles for success.
The discussion also highlighted that innovative guarantee mechanisms, for example, are necessary to address the perceived risks and enable the private sector to accelerate investments. Furthermore, the discussion concluded that an integrated approach is needed for successful energy transformations. This means an approach where renewable energy is seen as an enabler, not only for energy access and economic development, but also as an opportunity for green industrial development with local manufacturing and value creation.
About the AEEP-AEF Policymaker Breakfasts
The AEEP-AEF Policymaker breakfast meeting series occurs in-person, following Chatham House rules, and addresses key topics in the nexus of energy, climate, energy access, and energy transition. The first AEEP-AEF policymaker meeting in September 2023, on the side-lines of Africa Climate Summit (ACS) in Nairobi, Kenya, focused on optimising bicontinental partnerships in the spirit of mutual respect and recognising the essential roles of public, private, and civil society actors. Building on the outcomes of the first meeting, the second one in Berlin at BETD focused on jointly implementing the decisions and commitments made at ACS and COP28.
