Sub-Saharan African countries have weak regulatory environments for RE growth as most of these policies are either very technology-specific or in the form of an umbrella plan
Africa has seen very sluggish policy reforms to promote RE in the region. Photo: iStock About 60 per cent of $1.2 billion of international financial support sought by African countries to meet their nationally determined contributions (NDC) goals is mapped for mitigation activities, predominantly for the development of renewable energy (RE) in the continent by 2030.
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with a 40 per cent share of this for implementing NDCs, seeks to develop mitigation measures, mainly focusing on RE development in the region.
It is obvious that the continent requires urgent attention and an action plan to address the inherent challenges in furthering energy access for various services and activities to achieve the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals.
The road ahead is fraught with several bottlenecks and impediments in the form of limited access to technology options, lack of affordable finance and very limited flow of international investments, heavy reliance on fossil-based energy sources for economic activities, high cost of power to the consumers and uncertainty marred with lack of clarity in policy directions, among others.
Nonetheless, some countries in Africa have demonstrated a positive and forthcoming intention to experiment and commercialise some of the RE technologies through innovative business models for energy services delivery.
Africa faces a significant challenge in harnessing its renewable energy potential. To meet sustainable development goals and climate targets, the continent must act swiftly.
Learning from the experiences of successful countries like India, China and Brazil can help African nations save time and resources in developing and implementing customised policies and solutions. These emerging economies have achieved impressive results in integrating RE into their energy mix, raising power parity and demonstrating sustained economic growth through RE.
Their success is a result of more than three decades of experimentation, trials and failures. While they lead in RE aspects such as generation, installation, manufacturing and commercialisation, they continue to progress. However, Africa cannot afford to take the same time to reach their milestones.
It must learn from these examples and accelerate its energy transition to drive economic growth and meet its energy needs sustainably. By following in the footsteps of these countries, Africa can expedite its journey towards a greener and more prosperous future.
It can prove relatively easier, particularly for SSA, to implement RE from the standpoint of potential realisation adequate for achieving threshold per capita electricity consumption level of 360 kWh a year.
SSA requires an additional realisation of just 6 per cent (301 GW) of the solar potential only in the region or 58 per cent (138 GW) of the on-shore wind potential. If it aspires to reach Africa’s level of 602 kWh, only 12 per cent (591 GW) of the solar potential needs to be converted to the opportunity or the wind potential need to be utilised to the fullest.
SSA has enough RE resources to even reach a per capita electricity access level of 1,130 kWh annually, on par with the average of middle-income countries, supplemented by 25 per cent (1223 GW) of solar potential only or combination of various RE technologies. However, this looks highly ambitious but achievable, provided it is supported by a sustainable RE ecosystem.
Inadequate policy and regulatory frameworks, inadequate short- and long-term power system planning, lack of transparent decision-making, limited regional integration, policy inconsistencies across countries and institutional capacity gaps are significant obstacles to energy transition in numerous African nations.
Tackling these challenges through focused technical assistance and capacity enhancement will facilitate the energy transition. This approach will aid in the effective implementation of political priorities, as well as the mobilisation and proper allocation of resources.
Africa has seen very sluggish policy reforms to promote RE in the region. The International Energy Agency lists about 86 policies in force in Africa for promoting various RE technologies such as wind, solar photovoltaic and solar thermal, geothermal, among others. These policies were introduced within the past four decades, the earliest being the ‘Rural Electrification Policy’ in Malawi.
Latest additions are the new policies in 2023 focusing on the Green Investment Program and on-shore wind energy in Morocco and Egypt, respectively. It is seen that the countries have formulated various policies to promote energy access through mini-grids and small off-grid systems, net metering, FiT and DRE, along with large-scale wind and solar programmes.
Most of the African countries, however, have a national renewable energy strategy as part of the overall national energy policy. In terms of count, SSA, which comprises 49 countries, has merely 55 policies, just one policy for one country on an average, excluding South Africa which has seven policies.
It confirmed that SSA countries have weak regulatory environments for RE growth as most of these policies are either very technology-specific or in the form of an umbrella plan.
In SSA, there is a diverse range of geographical, developmental, socio-demographic and institutional factors that shape the energy transition. Each country begins the transition from a unique starting point, which implies varying strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, national-level policy-making needs to be tailored to these specific conditions.
To harness the abundant potential of renewable energy, African countries can implement a wide array of deployment policies and measures to integrate renewable energy technologies into their energy systems and grids.
This entails setting national or regional plans and targets for renewables and access to electricity. However, these policies must be accompanied by a comprehensive set of measures to break free from fossil fuel dependence and combat energy poverty. Such measures include phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and diverting investments away from coal, oil, and gas.
Policymakers need to mobilise investments in energy infrastructure and promote innovation to facilitate the transition from fossil fuels. Additionally, it is crucial to ensure that energy is affordable for all, requiring a careful assessment of necessary measures.
In parallel, public awareness campaigns are essential in highlighting the benefits of renewable energy solutions. These campaigns play a central role in gaining popular acceptance and support for the energy transition in SSA and in Africa, overall.
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