The US and the European Union have agreed to increase their partnership to support green energy in Sub-Saharan Africa, including energy storage and off-grid power systems in its remit.
The collaboration seeks to unlock the continent’s abundant sustainable energy generation potential and improve local access to affordable and reliable energy delivered through modern technologies.
Its aim is to contribute to building the “strategic autonomy of our African partners,” European Commission (EC) Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen said.
Currently, almost two-thirds of people in Sub-Saharan Africa don’t have access to electricity at all, limiting access to quality healthcare, education, the economic opportunities for about 600 million people.
The US and EU will work together at regional and national level to address that situation, including areas like knowledge sharing, developing flagship projects, empowering women in the energy sector, and opening policy dialogue and working on regulatory reform to boost capital and investment.
In terms of technologies, they will focus on small-scale and off-grid power generation to increase access to renewable energy, which includes electrification of schools and health facilities, women and by youth-led businesses, and rural households.
They will also focus on energy storage, energy efficiency and transmission line development.
The pair’s partnership continues the work beginning from the US side during the Obama presidency in 2015, under the Power Africa initiative, which leverages public-private partnerships.
From the EU side, it falls under the EU-Africa Green Energy Initiative under the Union’s Global Gateway programme which aims to support Africa’s green transition in the energy sector with up to €300 billion (US$292.5 billion) investment.