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6. The role of international cooperation in green energy transition
It is estimated that the average cost of reducing emissions in developing economies (including Africa) is about half the level in advanced economies. Thus, while all countries need to bring down emissions, clean energy investments in emerging and developing economies are deemed a particularly cost-effective way to tackle climate change. This is because where clean technologies are available and affordable – and financing options available – integrating sustainable, smart choices into new buildings, factories and vehicles from the onset is much easier than adapting or retrofitting at a later stage (IEA, 2021). It is for this and many other reasons that development assistance from advanced countries is highly touted as important to achieving a net-zero emission feature.
For Africa, beyond intra-continental cooperation, countries can collectively benefit from a vigorous multilateral approach. A key trend that has also been the focus of policy discourse is the evolving Africa-EU Partnership. The European Commission’s Comprehensive Strategy with Africa proposes first among its five key pillars an African partnership for green energy transition – a partnership for green transition and energy access (EU, 2020)7. Given that the EU is far ahead in green energy development and transitioning, such forms of cooperation can draw on the experiences of European countries, provide promised climate mitigation and adaptation funding, and ensure that lessons and technological solutions are shared across African regions, countries and communities.
Past experience suggests that the European Commission’s Comprehensive Strategy with Africa can strengthen the green energy transition in Africa through existing bilateral efforts at a country-to-country level, efficiency demands mainstreaming through regional integration. In this regard, key areas in which the Europe-Africa partnership can be deployed to accelerate the African green energy transition are special financing modality for renewable energy, institutional knowledge sharing, and technical and innovation sharing. Box 4: Key areas for driving green energy under Europe-Africa partnership
Special financing modality for green energy:
Through the official development assistance, the bulk of EU’s funds flows to the energy sector in Africa, with a particular focus on renewable sources. However, large-scale impact requires reinforcing power pools for greater regional integration. A significant challenge with most power pools is the limited access to funding, especially in terms of infrastructure investment connecting countries. Such a green energy transition strategy would help in motivating the interests of other top donors (US and China) and the private sector, whose support can develop alternative regional approaches or mitigate barriers to green energy transition created by domestic policy and politics.
Institutional knowledge sharing: The EU is at the forefront of the global energy transformation process with three major phases that Africa will also experience in its quest for green energy – transition from fossil fuels (oil and coal) to renewable energy; regional approaches to green energy transition; and policy and institutional frameworks in economic unions and regional integration. The proposed green energy action plan under the new framework has several weaknesses – including the lack of information and knowledge exchange, and the possible role of triangular cooperation in the green energy transition. The increase in trade and economic relations between African countries and other regions, especially in the global south, provides an opportunity for coordination of support between different actors.
Technology and innovation sharing: One of the most crucial elements in the green energy transition is access to green technologies which has been emphasised in the Europe – Africa partnership with the objective of ‘strengthening scientific capacities in Africa by providing access and local adaptation to technologies’. It is, however, a concern that African countries’ reliance on imported technologies and expatriates for the development of their green sector is not compatible with the type of green energy that is suitable for the EU or other regions.
7 The others are: 2) A partnership for digital transformation; 3) A partnership for sustainable growth and jobs; 4) A partnership for peace and governance; and 5) A partnership on migration and mobility.
