- The average score for the Sub-Saharan Africa region is 49.2, having witnessed an 11 percent growth over the past decade.
- Kenya’s efforts to enhance its regulatory environment on energy to drive the shift are also recognised in the report.
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Sub-Saharan Africa continues to lead the world in the uptake and investment in renewable energy, a new report shows.
The report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) shows that the continent has the highest number of countries with double-digit performance in the period under review.
It tracks the performance of 120 countries globally and interrogates the Energy Transition Index (ETI) of each country for the period between 2014 and 2023.
Kenya at number 46 globally, leads Africa in terms of the ETI at 57.8 points, followed by Morocco (55.6) Namibia (55.1), Mauritius (55) and Cote D’Ivoire (53.1).
Founder and Director of Power Shift Africa Mohamed Adow said Africa's leading shows the continent has great potential and holds the key to a sustainable future.
"By harnessing our abundant renewable resources and attracting the necessary investments, we can power our development, address historical challenges, and lead the world in transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy.
Africa's energy potential is our gift and it's time to unlock it. We need to push for a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels to a greener and more sustainable future. Let’s seize the moment and not follow in the footsteps of the historical polluters. It’s time to make the 21st century an African Century,’’ he said.
The average score for the Sub-Saharan Africa region is 49.2, having witnessed an 11 percent growth over the past decade.
This ranks it among the most promising regions globally.
The region distinguishes itself in sustainability, regulatory indicators for sustainable energy, creation of green jobs and political commitment to promote the sub-sector.
Cote D’Ivoire (16.68), Kenya (10.56), Senegal (12.18), Zimbabwe (12.28) and Tanzania (10.15) have experienced the highest growth in the sub-sector in the last nine years.
This is higher than most European and Latin American countries which have an average of between 1 and 5 percent increase in investments and adoption of renewable energy in the stated period.
The report introduced an updated framework, assessing countries based on energy equity, energy security and environmental sustainability.
It commends Kenya for ‘jumping significantly’ in rank this year for making aggressive efforts towards transition readiness by improving its regulatory environment and infrastructure.
Kenya’s efforts to enhance its regulatory environment on energy to drive the shift are also recognised in the report.
Coordinator Movement Building Space Lorraine Chiponda said only 2 per cent of global investments in renewable energy in the last two decades were made in Africa, with significant regional disparities.
She therefore said that this is a global injustice that demands immediate attention.
"Africa deserves far more than mere crumbs when it comes to transitioning towards clean, sustainable energy. It's time to demand a world where renewable energy in Africa is not a distant dream but a vibrant, living reality, where clean power flows through every community.
We must channel our resources into rights-based alternatives and mechanisms that empower people and elevate them to their full potential," Chiponda said.
The adoption of renewables in Africa lends more momentum to the global fight against the climate crisis.
It also aligns with the imperative of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius below pre-industrial levels.
The report says that cleaner energy sources and technologies will be required in the next two to three years to meet 2030 targets and limit the effects of climate change.
In the Nairobi Declaration after the Africa Climate Summit, leaders noted that the continent has received only $60 billion of the total $3 trillion of global investments in renewable energy in the last decade.
The recent Just Transition Report, it underscores Africa’s ability to address its historical and structural challenges of maldevelopment, debt and energy poverty.
These sentiments were echoed by President William Ruto during the summit.
Ruto emphasised the continent’s readiness to lead in the battle against climate change on the renewable energy front.
‘‘Africa is the continent with 60 per cent of the world's renewable energy assets, including solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower,’’ he said.
Even with Africa’s commendable progress in investment in renewable energy, the report warns that the window of opportunity for the energy transition is closing fast.
This underlines the formidable challenges faced by developing countries in their quest for an energy transition owing to cost implications and competing developmental needs.
"The lack of consistent and balanced progress for many countries highlights the challenge of navigating the energy transition," the report said.