Publications /
Opinion

Back
Energy in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors
Manfred Hafner
Simone Tagliapietra
Lucia de Strasser
October 4, 2018

This blog post summarizes the key findings of the new book Energy in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities, co-authored by Manfred Hafner, Simone Tagliapietra and Lucia de Strasser of the Italian think-tank, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. The book, published by Springer, is freely available online.

The book presents a picture of the current energy challenges on the African continent- the Sub-Saharan region in particular- and proposes pathways to an accelerated energy transition. Beginning with an analysis of the status-quo and the outlook for Africa’s energy demand and energy access, it provides an account of the available resources, including hydrocarbons and renewable energy resources, which play an increasingly crucial role on the African continent nowadays. It then moves on to analyze the level of investment required to scale-up Africa’s energy systems, shedding light on the key barriers and elaborating on potential solutions. Additionally, Energy in Africa provides solutions for improving the effectiveness of EU–Africa cooperation. While mainly intended for policymakers and academics, this book also speaks to a broader audience interested in gaining an overview of the challenges and opportunities of the African energy sector today and in the future.

Chapter 1 – The Challenge of Energy Access in Africa

There are multiple dimensions to the problem of energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa, where large shares of population lack a reliable supply of electricity and affordable modern cooking fuels: such as  insufficient power generation capacity, difficulties in managing energy infrastructure and attract investments in the sector,  challenges in serving low-income users. Booming populations, urbanization, and ambitions of economic development will all require more and more energy. This chapter illustrates the main challenges ahead towards the sustainable development objective of achieving universal access to electricity and clean cooking in the region. 

Chapter 2 - The Role of Hydrocarbons in Africa's Energy Mix

Africa is rich in hydrocarbon resources, with some countries ranking among the biggest exporters in the world. Compared to North Africa and South Africa - where this endowment translated into the creation of domestic markets - the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa investments have largely focused on the upstream industry for export. This chapter elaborates on the possible role of hydrocarbon resources in the future of SSA countries, taking into account the new reality that renewable energy is becoming more and more competitive as well as the fact that – despite increasing climate and environmental concerns that see international financing institutions increasingly reticent to support investments in fossil fuels – the sector remains strategic for many countries.

Chapter 3 – Prospects for Renewable Energy in Africa

Not long ago, renewable generation was an expensive choice to be subsidised by industrialized governments to signal an intention to shift to clean energy, however today renewable resources are becoming strategic assets for developing countries too, as the global industry grows stronger and the cost of technology falls dramatically. Their potential is particularly evident in Africa where solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass resources are abundant. While it is becoming evident that renewables  have a major role to play in the electrification process of many countries in the region – including at small scale and off-grid – and several challenges remain when it comes to establishing appropriate regulations, attracting foreign investments, and even sometimes simply setting clear and attainable targets. After describing the distribution of resources, this chapter looks at the policy frameworks in place in order to point at possible ways forward.

Chapter 4 – Energy Investments for Africa's Energy Transition

The challenge of bringing modern energy to everyone in Sub-Saharan Africa is a unique challenge that requires substantial investments as well as a strong commitment to make the energy sector more effective and efficient within the single countries. This chapter suggests that both African governments and the plethora of foreign investors have the opportunity to improve the situation, taking action respectively in terms of structural reforms (of power utilities and pro-poor subsidies) and in the coordination and streamlining of financial assistance. Notably countries and institutions of the EU – together with the World Bank Group the largest investor in energy development in the region – could easily reduce the bureaucracy and redundancy of existing electrification programs to achieve greater impact. In this process, the objective of universal clean cooking and the actual investments required to achieve it (particularly in LPG and bio-energy) should not be forgotten.

RELATED CONTENT

  • October 01, 2021
    The climate crisis is a latent threat that has been brewing for several years. Its repercussions affect both individuals and economies. Since the Paris Agreement, progress has stalled in ...
  • Authors
    Raffaele Della Croce
    Miguel Vazquez
    September 29, 2021
    In order to close the financing gap in green technologies, finding new mechanisms to enhance the participation of the private sector, combined with that of the public sector, in financing sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure is a must. In this context, some unlisted instruments are going to be needed to enhance financing of green infrastructure. Besides, the development of properly structured projects, with risks and returns in line with the preferences of the different ...
  • Authors
    Chami Abdelilah
    Derj Atar
    Hammi Ibtissem
    Morazzo Mariano
    Naciri Yassine
    with the technical support of AFRY
    July 29, 2021
    As decarbonization is a long-term process and requires significant investments, specific financial and non- financial measures will need to be implemented, both in the short and long term, to facilitate this transition. In Part II of Morocco’s decarbonization pathway Policy Brief series, an update of the decarbonization scenarios was presented. It revealed that the Increased Ambition and Green Development scenarios achieve higher decarbonization targets than current policy. It showe ...
  • Authors
    Chami Abdelilah
    Derj Atar
    Hammi Ibtissem
    Morazzo Mariano
    Naciri Yassine
    with the technical support of AFRY
    July 23, 2021
    La décarbonisation est un processus à long terme qui nécessite des investissements importants. Ainsi, des mesures financières et non financières spécifiques devront être mises en œuvre, à la fois à court et à long termes, pour faciliter cette transition. Dans la deuxième partie de la série de Policy Briefs sur la trajectoire de décarbonisation du Maroc, une mise à jour des scénarios de décarbonisation a été présentée. Elle révèle que les scénarios « Ambition accélérée » et « Dévelop ...
  • Authors
    Chami Abdelilah
    Derj Atar
    Hammi Ibtissem
    Morazzo Mariano
    Naciri Yassine
    with the technical support of AFRY
    July 19, 2021
    Morocco's significant renewable energy resources offer an unprecedented opportunity to anchor the country’s economic and political choices in the energy transition, and to turn the transition into an essential lever for economic development. This is all the more relevant as the costs of renewable energies have dropped over the past 10 years2, and now offer strong potential, not only for creating green jobs but for ensuring a dynamic and resilient economic growth as well. In 2020, ne ...
  • Authors
    Chami Abdelilah
    Derj Atar
    Hammi Ibtissem
    Morazzo Mariano
    Naciri Yassine
    with the technical support of AFRY
    July 9, 2021
    Les importantes ressources en énergies renouvelables du Maroc offrent une opportunité sans précédent d’ancrer les choix économiques et politiques du pays dans la transition énergétique, et de faire de cette transition un levier essentiel du développement économique. Ceci est d’autant plus important que le coût des énergies renouvelables a baissé au cours des 10 dernières années2 et présente désormais un fort potentiel, non seulement de création d’emplois verts mais aussi de croissan ...
  • Authors
    Chami Abdelilah
    Derj Atar
    Hammi Ibtissem
    Morazzo Mariano
    Naciri Yassine
    with the technical support of AFRY
    July 9, 2021
    Les conséquences du changement climatique sont de plus en plus visibles au Maroc. Le schéma changeant des précipitations et de la sécheresse, l'augmentation des températures moyennes et des canicules, les inondations et l'augmentation du niveau de la mer affectent de plus en plus de nombreuses régions. Et pourtant, le taux d'émission de gaz à effet de serre (GES) du Maroc est relativement faible, comparé à celui d'autres pays. En 20162, les émissions totales de GES du Maroc ont atte ...
  • Authors
    Chami Abdelilah
    Derj Atar
    Hammi Ibtissem
    Morazzo Mariano
    Naciri Yassine
    with the technical support of AFRY
    July 9, 2021
    The consequences of climate change are becoming progressively more visible in Morocco. Changes in rainfall patterns and drought, increases in average temperatures and heatwaves, flooding, and rising sea levels are increasingly affecting several regions. Yet, Morocco has a relatively low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission rate, compared to other countries. In 20162, Morocco’s total GHG emissions reached 86127.7 gigagram of carbon dioxide equivalent (Gg CO2-eq), totaling around 0.2% of glo ...
  • Authors
    Chami Abdelilah
    Derj Atar
    Hammi Ibtissem
    Morazzo Mariano
    Naciri Yassine
    with the technical support of AFRY
    June 28, 2021
    During the 2015 Paris Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), governments pledged to limit the global temperature increase to well below 2°C above pre- industrial levels, to peak emissions as soon as possible, and to achieve carbon neutrality in the second half of the century. Yet, even assuming full implementation of the commitments made by governments in Paris, the global concentration of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions will ...
  • Authors
    Chami Abdelilah
    Derj Atar
    Hammi Ibtissem
    Morazzo Mariano
    Naciri Yassine
    with the technical support of AFRY
    June 28, 2021
    Lors de la Conférence des Parties à la Convention-cadre des Nations unies sur les changements climatiques (CCNUCC) qui s'est tenue à Paris en 2015, les gouvernements se sont engagés à limiter l'augmentation de la température mondiale à un niveau bien inférieur à 2°C par rapport aux niveaux préindustriels. Ils se sont également engagés à atteindre, dès que possible, un pic de leurs émissions et à parvenir à la neutralité carbone au cours de la seconde moitié du siècle. Pour autant, m ...