Over the last decade, West Africa has seen a dramatic surge in energy demand due to population growth, urbanisation, and industrialisation. In spite of these impressive changes, the region still has one of the lowest electrification rates in the world: only 42% of the total population have access to electricity, an amount that reaches 8% if we consider rural areas.

Roberto Vigotti

There are several challenges related to energy security West Africa is facing, including the need to diversify its energy mix, and to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, which are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. This lack of access to energy is a major barrier to the economic and social development of the region, despite the enormous renewable energy potential West Africa is endowed with. Such a capability could help the continuous increase of energy demand while fighting against climate change consequences, but it is nowadays widely unexploited: for instance, green energy sources account for only 21% of the generation capacity.

This situation is due to several factors. First of all, we have to consider the political and regulatory framework: policies are in many cases inadequate and the objectives defined in national strategies are unrealistic. A further element is a widespread discouragement of private investors, who do not find adequate de-risking tools and transparency in tender procedures. Other barriers are represented by the access to finance, as investors are often unfamiliar with the sector and lack the appetite to invest, and low levels of awareness in the technology, combined with a shortage of grid infrastructure in rural areas and political and economic instability.

Connecting the Dots, Accelerating renewable energy deployment with regional integration: a 10 years retrospective on West Africa

”, developed in synergy with Enel Green Power, we analysed what hindrances are inhibiting a speedy, even and steady growth of renewable energy in the area. To unblock the halt and encourage a real energy transition in the area, some targeted actions are needed. Is there a realistic and operative approach to tackle them? Yes, with renewables. The West African region can leverage cross-border collaboration to maximise the benefits of a just energy transition, as the study highlights the importance of regional integration and cooperation in order to create an enabling environment for the deployment of renewable energy.

A new network of stakeholders needs to be established to identify and prioritise challenges, opportunities and needs related to climate technology deployment, as well as a knowledge-sharing platform to facilitate the exchange of information between them and the global climate technology community. Additionally, a multi-level capacity building program needs to be developed and implemented to improve the capacity of local energy actors in order to better use and deploy climate technologies.

To put it simply, new policies and regulations must be developed promoting the deployment of climate technology facilitating barriers to foreign direct investments: this will allow the implementation of bankable Power Purchasing Agreements (PPAs), ensuring a balance between local content and market competitiveness. The region also needs to adopt a clear regulatory framework enhancing financial de-risking instruments with the provision of innovative solutions, supporting monetary cooperation among countries, and promoting regional integration to attract investments and support economic development.

Ensuring that the energy generated in West Africa is sustainable is only the first step. With the right investments and policies in place, West Africa can become a global leader in renewable energy that steers the continent towards a new and bright future, characterised by wider beneficial outcomes for a greener Africa.

illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability & Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.

Can West Africa overcome its challenges and become a global renewable energy leader?

In order to be truly effective in the struggle against climate change, hydrogen must have one characteristic: it must be fully sustainable.

Green energy is now a key element of many political agendas. National and international strategies aim at decarbonisation through the enhancement of electrification systems, but many of them still face problems of efficiency and secondary environmental impacts.

It is in this context that hydrogen is calling attention, identifying itself no longer as a competitor but as a worthy companion to electricity, in all those sectors where carbon emissions could remain high or where electrification is excessively difficult and expensive, such as in the heavy industry, aviation, shipping, or long-distance transport, hydrogen can play a strategic role.

However, in order to be truly effective in the struggle against climate change, hydrogen must have one characteristic: it must be fully sustainable. However, not all types of hydrogen represent a valid alternative: blue hydrogen, obtained through chemical processes that mainly use natural gas or oil, produces significant CO2 emissions and causes potential damage to the environment, certainly not lower than those attributed to traditional fossil fuels. That’s where the green one comes into play. it is produced through electrolysis, a process by which it is possible to split water into hydrogen and oxygen through the passage of electricity produced from renewable sources. It has virtually no environmental impact and it can be effectively matched with all types of renewable energy sources.

Green hydrogen can be a real game changer especially in Africa, a continent with an increasing need for energy; it seems to wink at the enormous renewable potential of the continent, especially in terms of wind and solar energy, strategic for the production of H2. Renewable hydrogen can have a strong impact on reducing the dependence of many African countries on the use and import of fossil fuels, an issue of primary importance especially in many subSaharan states. Enlisting hydrogen in the battle for sustainable African energy development appears therefore to be a viable and effective path.

However, in order for green hydrogen to bring about a meaningful transformation, institutions, companies, and actors involved in Africa's energy transition must respect two key conditions. The first is one is that production must take place within national borders: on the contrary, importing renewable hydrogen from third countries simply means replacing an imported energy product with another. The second is that the destination of the produced hydrogen is Africa itself, in order for it to be able to support the sustainable development of the continent’s growing economic sector.

The way to go is clear and RES4Africa wants to make its contribution in following it: for this reason, in October, it inaugurated the 

, a new stream of work that responds to the necessity of fostering knowledge, technical and human capacities, while stimulating the creation of multi-stakeholder partnerships to analyse the current status quo of Africa’s green hydrogen sector, formulating specific advocacy proposals for a just energy transition in the continent.

Green hydrogen represents a potential booster for African energy transition. However, it is only satisfying the set of preconditions we mentioned, that it can be harmonically and effectively developed: more than ever, we have to work together, think big, and act smart so that Africa's energy transition is fully green.

Illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability & Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.

Green Hydrogen: a feasible option for transforming Africa's Energy Sector

Climate change and its consequences are not sparing any area of our world. And yet, the strongest impacts are experienced by the communities that have contributed least to the problem: 7 out of 10 countries most exposed to climate change are African, while not even a single state from the continent is ranked among the major global emitters.

Due to its already vulnerable environmental conditions, the consequences of global warming and climate change in Africa are potentially disastrous. Rainfalls could decrease of about 20% in southern areas, with a consequential increase of dry days and a shrink in the water volume of major basins. The lack of proper mitigation measures could also result in a 4°C temperature rise in Middle East and North African countries, whose cities could become uninhabitable by 2100.

But the potential effects are more than just environmental: up to 116 million individuals risk to be exposed to these severe meteorological phenomena by 2030, causing the probable displacement of 85 million of people. This form environmental defenselessness has the power of decreasing food security by 5–20% in regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, with 281 million people being malnourished. Additionally, water-related impacts on health and agriculture could lead to a significant drop in the GDP, up to 6% by the year 2050 in the MENA region, and up to 3% in Sub-Saharan Africa. Finally, the severe destabilisation of local markets in terms of investments and production and the related economic shocks have an impact on more complicated and layered macro-issues, like the increasing of unemployment rates, gender inequality, and inadequate access to quality education. It is hence necessary not only to contrast the rise of the average global temperature, but also to 

 to climate change and its aftermaths. In this sense, a strong ally for Africa is represented by 

. The energy transition is one of the key processes in the global fight against climate change, as the power sector causes 73% of the global emissions; yet its transformation is not to be considered a purely environmental phenomenon. Clean energy can in fact boost access to reliable, safe and affordable energy sources, securing positive environmental benefits and, at the same time, addressing Africa’s socio-economic challenges.

As a matter of fact, green energy is deemed to be a highly work-intensive industry, considerably more than fossil fuels. As highlighted in 

, under a 1.5° scenario African GDP will witness an increase of up to 6.4% on average from 2021 to 2050, generating around 8 million jobs in the renewable energy industry.

And this is not all: a just energy transition has the power to kickstart a chain of positive effects, providing new opportunities for youth involvement, tackling gender inequality, and maximising its socio-economic benefits in an inclusive and just manner.

Renewables, if properly implemented, can really lead the continent towards a new and bright future, characterised by wider beneficial outcomes such as economic well-being, employment and social sustainability. A future to which there's no alternative, for us and our planet; let's work on it together, before it's too late.

Illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability & 

 writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.

Climate change: Africa’s resilience goes through renewable energy

The MENA region is considered one of the ultimate frontiers of the renewable energy transition. As a matter of fact, the countries belonging to Mediterranean Africa can rely on a terrific amount of renewable energy sources, a constant growth in their internal energy demand, and a governance environment which is demonstrating interest and initiative. The results didn't take long to emerge: during the last decade, MED countries saw their wind and solar power generation increase from 6% to 35%, outlining even more ambitious plans for 2030 and 2050.

The MENA region is considered one of the 

ultimate frontiers of the renewable energy transition

. As a matter of fact, the countries belonging to Mediterranean Africa can rely on a terrific amount of renewable energy sources, a constant growth in their internal energy demand, and a governance environment which is demonstrating interest and initiative. The results didn't take long to emerge: during the last decade, 

MED countries saw their wind and solar power generation increase from 6% to 35%

, outlining even more ambitious plans for 2030 and 2050.

Among the countries leading this epochal transformation, 

 for its proactive stance on renewables: 

. The Mediterranean State is blessed by unique environmental features, which would allow it to realistically and cost-effectively supply 53% of its electricity mix from REs by 2030. Conscious of its unmatched potential, 

Egypt fully embodies the will to ride the wave of renewable energy

, taking major steps in implementing a comprehensive strategy

The first one consists in the development of new sustainable sources

. In 2004, the national generation of renewable energy corresponded to a mere 4% of the total energy mix: 17 years later, Egypt has managed to raise the stakes, increasing the quota to a promising 20%, made up by PV (2%), wind and hydro power (12% and 6%, respectively).

serious commitment towards energy efficiency

. As the evidence unequivocally suggests, one of the main issues of the African renewable market are the conditions and the availability of transmission and distribution infrastructures, which often prevent a balanced and reliable access to energy sources. The Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy invested around $ 1.5 billion to upgrade the local transmission grids, which expanded from 2,3464 km in 2014 to 6,006 in 2020.

 of this success story is, actually, a pre-condition of the ones we just described

. As a matter of fact, Egypt managed to approve substantial financial reforms, attracting consistent private investments ($3.1 billion in 2021) thanks to a regenerated business environment and stepping up as an international regional energy hub by hosting the upcoming COP27.

What we just briefly described is no small feat: the lack of private investments, coupled by inadequate infrastructures and an often-reluctant political environment, are 

chronic obstacles affecting Africa's development of RE

s. And, to this day, too few are the success stories we can talk about.

Let's clear the field from misunderstandings: for Egypt, 

. The renewable energy mix still needs to be scaled up, through the 

, such as green hydrogen and biomasses. Additionally, despite being considered a proper "sun belt" (2,000 to 3,000 kWh/m2/year of direct solar radiation), 

Egypt is still far from fully developing its PV sector

, which needs transparent streamline regulations and clear Institutional roles. Last but not least, the Egyptian renewable energy market needs to be reinforced with 

improved project bankability, strengthened risk mitigation, and a vibrant local manufacturing industry

, based on a skilled workforce and the development of in-house technologies.

Taking stock of Egypt's renewable environment is therefore crucial, to identify best practices, future trends and creating a much-needed dialogue on how to locally and regionally accelerate the energy transition.

one of the most promising scenarios of the so longed-for energy transition

. Despite some structural flaws still to be neutralised, the country provides a successful case-study in terms of investments, institutional agenda and infrastructural interventions. A story that, hopefully, will soon have as protagonists all the African countries.

. Illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Energy & Sustainability writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.

The case of Egypt: a benchmark for the African continent

Roberto Vigotti is the Secretary General of 

, a European think tank gathering 34 stakeholders from the clean energy value chain to accelerate Africa’s RE transition

 R&D Division and served for 12 years as the chair of the 

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Roberto Vigotti

Roberto Vigotti

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