The 2024 IRENA report, *The Energy Transition in Africa: Opportunities for International Collaboration with a Focus on the G7*, highlights Africa’s critical role in the global shift to sustainable energy, emphasizing its vast renewable energy potential and the urgent need to address its energy access deficit. Despite possessing abundant renewable resources—capable of exceeding projected electricity demand by 1000 times by 2040—Africa has received less than 2% of global renewable energy investments over the past two decades. The Nairobi Declaration, adopted at the 2023 Africa Climate Summit, sets an ambitious goal to increase renewable capacity from 56 GW in 2022 to 300 GW by 2030, aligning with global climate targets. The report underscores opportunities for G7 countries to support Africa’s energy transition through initiatives like the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA), focusing on mobilizing finance, enhancing energy access, managing critical minerals, and strengthening institutional frameworks.
The report identifies key challenges, including limited energy access for 570 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, inadequate transmission infrastructure, and the dominance of fossil fuel-based power (nearly 200 GW of Africa’s 256 GW total capacity in 2023). It proposes G7 collaboration in areas such as increasing public and private finance, supporting infrastructure projects like those outlined in the Continental Power Systems Masterplan (CMP), and promoting sustainable mining practices for critical minerals essential to renewable technologies. By aligning with African-led initiatives like APRA and supporting Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the G7 can help address financing gaps, reduce investment risks, and foster local value creation, contributing to sustainable development and job creation across the continent.