What the G20 can do for Africa's energy agenda

By participating in the discussions in Rio at the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, I underlined the importance of a just energy transition, in my country and throughout sub-Saharan Africa. From Dar es Salaam and Pretoria to Baku and Rio, energy has been a major topic of discussion in global forums, because it is absolutely essential to economic development and climate change mitigation efforts. In sub-Saharan Africa, around 600 million people (nearly half the population) do not have access to electricity and almost a billion people (one-eighth of the world's population) do not have access to a clean kitchen.

Fortunately, several important new programs promise to help fill these technology gaps. For example, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank launched the Mission 300 project, which aims to connect at least 300 million people to clean electricity in Africa by 2030. In January 2025, Dar es Salaam will host the Mission 300 Heads of State Energy Summit, which will bring together heads of government, multilateral development banks, private investors and other stakeholders. African countries will present their plans to mobilize investments in on-grid and off-grid solutions using readily available and affordable energy sources.

According to the World Bank, achieving the project's electrification target will require $30 billion in public investment, much of which could come from its own concessional financing body, the International Development Association. As G20 member states are the largest contributors to the IDA, we call on them to support our mission with robust successive rounds of IDA replenishment.

Another important program is Tanzania's $18 billion plan to catalyze renewable energy investments in 12 southern African countries that are interconnected by the same pool of geothermal, hydroelectric, solar and wind sources. The aim is to increase electricity production from these sources by 8.4 gigawatts, which is in line with the commitment made at COP28 (Dubai) to triple global renewable energy production capacity by 2030.

More generally, African leaders also set a goal (during the African climate summit held last year in Nairobi) to increase the continent's renewable energy production to 300 GW by 2030. , compared to just 56 GW in 2022. This will require an estimated investment of $600 billion, ten times more than current investment levels.

Connecting a rapidly growing and urbanizing population to clean energy is obviously beneficial for the continent. But it is also a benefit for the whole world, given the possibility of avoiding gigatons of additional carbon dioxide emissions. Indeed, Africa's success in this regard is crucial to achieving the Paris climate agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Our continent is richly endowed with immense reserves of essential minerals and almost infinite solar and wind potential, but it must offset scarce (and expensive) capital flows to make the most of these resources.

A third important initiative is the Supporting African Women for Clean Cooking programme, which I launched at COP28 to achieve universal access to clean cooking technologies in Tanzania and across Africa. With more than 900 million Africans still relying on wood and charcoal for cooking, toxic indoor smoke is the second leading cause of premature death on the continent – ​​a problem that primarily affects women and children.

This situation is totally unacceptable and that is why I went to Rio to request the inclusion of a $12 billion facility in the replenishment of the AfDB's African Development Fund, in order to promote universal access to clean cooking across Africa. The AfDB has committed $2 billion over the next ten years and, at this year's Africa Clean Cooking Summit, other partners pledged to mobilize an additional $2.2 billion in here in 2030. But as encouraging as these commitments are, they are not enough. The International Energy Agency estimates that universal access to clean cooking in Africa will cost $4 billion per year until 2030. Complementary support from other global actors is needed.

Such investments would have considerable benefits. In addition to reducing premature deaths from indoor pollution, replacing dirty fuels globally will help preserve at least 200 million hectares of forests – including 110 million in Africa alone – by 2030. and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.9 gigatonnes of equivalent _CO2. This would be the equivalent of eliminating all emissions from planes and ships today.

The programs I have just described are part of a larger set of ideas being pursued in Africa. But making them a reality will require large-scale financing, technology development and transfer, and capacity building. We are counting on our friends in the G20 to come together and advance this energy agenda.
Samia Suluhu Hassan is President of the United Republic of Tanzania.
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