Empowering Africa: Clean energy opportunities for economic growth, workforce development, and regional leadership – RMI

Report on Clean Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Pathway to Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: The Role of Clean Energy in the 2030 Agenda

As global leaders convene for COP30, this report outlines a vision for Sub-Saharan Africa’s energy future, emphasizing its potential to lead in the global energy transition and drive significant progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The continent is positioned to leverage its abundant renewable resources to foster energy abundance, economic prosperity, and climate resilience. This transition is critical for achieving the 2030 Agenda, with a particular focus on energy access, economic growth, and climate action.

Current Energy Landscape and SDG Challenges

Sub-Saharan Africa faces significant energy challenges that impede progress on multiple SDGs. The existing infrastructure is often inadequate, unreliable, and inequitably distributed, creating substantial barriers to sustainable development.

• SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): Over 600 million people lack electricity access, and more than half of the population experiences unreliable supply. The average annual energy consumption remains below the 1,000 kWh minimum required for modern energy services.
• SDG 1 (No Poverty) & SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Energy poverty dampens economic growth and limits opportunities for income generation and poverty alleviation.
• SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): The aging and fragile energy infrastructure hinders industrialization and the development of a robust, modern economy.

Projected population growth and a 75% surge in electricity demand this decade necessitate urgent action to close the energy gap and build resilient systems that can support a prosperous future for the continent’s growing youth population.

A Strategic Framework for an SDG-Aligned Energy Transition

A strategic vision aims to improve energy efficiency, affordability, and reliability, directly contributing to key SDG targets. The goals include enabling 420 TWh of renewable energy, providing energy access for 390 million people (SDG 7), and avoiding 250 million tons of CO2 emissions (SDG 13). This vision is structured around three strategic pillars:

1. Energy Access: The primary objective is to close the energy access gap in alignment with SDG 7. This involves scaling utility-enabled distributed energy resources (DERs), such as those advanced by the Africa Minigrids Program, to build affordable, resilient, and reliable energy systems for all.
2. Clean and Resilient Supply through Innovative Collaboration: This pillar focuses on shifting power sectors toward clean and secure generation, enhancing resilience against climate and geopolitical shocks, which supports SDG 9 and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Key solutions include interconnected minigrids (IMGs) and embedded generation, which foster collaboration between utilities and developers to improve supply for urban and peri-urban customers.
3. Green Growth: Leveraging newly available clean energy to drive sustainable economic development is crucial. This pillar supports SDG 8 and SDG 9 by partnering with local communities and entrepreneurs to attract investment in new industries. Initiatives in emergent climate-tech, such as green ammonia fertilizer and energizing agriculture, directly contribute to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), while e-mobility and green telecommunications create jobs and establish a clean economy.

Catalyzing Progress: Workforce Development and Climate Finance

Achieving these strategic objectives requires the cultivation of local capacity and the mobilization of targeted investment. These two areas act as powerful market catalysts for accelerating the energy transition and realizing its associated SDG benefits.

Workforce Development and Gender Equality

• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): The clean energy industry is positioned to create significant employment opportunities, absorbing the continent’s growing youth labor force and powering new industries.
• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): Programs such as the Global Women in Clean Energy fellowship are essential for empowering women to become leaders in the deployment of DER projects. This ensures that women are not just participants but key decision-makers in shaping a gender-inclusive and equitable energy future.

Climate Finance and Partnerships

• SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): Chronic underinvestment in early-stage project preparation remains a significant barrier. Prioritizing early-stage finance and technical support is necessary to convert climate commitments into bankable projects.
• Mobilizing Capital: Catalytic finance programs work with public and private sector partners to de-risk projects and mobilize capital for clean and resilient energy solutions, thereby increasing the absorptive capacity for investment and accelerating the achievement of climate finance goals.

Conclusion: A Call to Action for Green Industrialization

Sub-Saharan Africa is at a pivotal juncture where it can pursue green industrialization, creating a high-value, climate-positive value chain that supports broad sustainable development. This path offers an alternative to unsustainable, import-dependent models by leveraging emergent technologies for the benefit of the continent. Realizing this vision depends on strong country leadership and robust collaboration, a cornerstone of SDG 17. The COP30 summit presents a critical opportunity to deepen cooperation and forge partnerships that will ensure renewable energy access for all, paving the way for a low-cost, low-carbon, and climate-resilient future aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on clean energy opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa addresses several interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The analysis below details the relevant SDGs and the reasons for their inclusion based on the article’s content.

• SDG 1: No Poverty

  The article directly links clean energy pathways to poverty alleviation, stating that they can “lift millions out of poverty.” This connection is central to the vision of using energy access as a tool for economic upliftment.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  The article explicitly addresses gender equality through the mention of RMI’s “Global Women in Clean Energy” program. This initiative aims to “empower women fellows to lead the deployment of distributed energy resource projects, ensuring that women are not just participants but also leaders.”

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

  This is the core SDG of the article. The text focuses entirely on closing the “energy access gap” for the “600 million Africans without electricity,” improving energy efficiency, affordability, and reliability, and promoting renewable energy sources like solar minigrids.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article highlights how clean energy can drive “inclusive industrialization and economic growth.” It discusses creating jobs, especially for Africa’s growing youth population, and powering industries to “create a compounding effect and improve job supply.”

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  The text points out Africa’s “aging, expensive, fragile, and unequally distributed infrastructure” and proposes solutions like distributed energy resources (DERs), interconnected minigrids, and embedded generation. It also promotes “green industrialization” and leveraging “emergent climate-tech solutions” like green ammonia fertilizer and e-mobility.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article is framed within the context of global climate discussions like COP30. It outlines a vision to avoid “250 million tons of CO2 emissions” and build energy systems “adapted to withstand climate and geopolitical shocks,” directly contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article emphasizes the importance of collaboration, stating that RMI works with “partners in the public, private, and philanthropic sectors.” It also discusses the need to unlock climate finance and build local capacity through partnerships with governments, utilities, and communities, which is the essence of SDG 17.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues and initiatives discussed, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 7.1: By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.

   The article directly addresses this target by highlighting the problem that “over 600 million Africans [are] without electricity” and stating a goal to help “390 million people access energy.” The focus on minigrids and DERs is a strategy to achieve this.

2. Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

   The article’s vision is to enable “420 TWh of renewable energy” and position Africa as a “renewable energy superpower.” It promotes solutions like distributed solar to shift power sectors toward clean generation.

3. Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation.

   The promotion of “green industrialization” and “emergent climate-tech solutions” such as green fertilizer, e-mobility, and energizing agriculture are direct strategies to boost economic productivity and create a “high-value, climate-positive, energy-agricultural-industrial value chain.”

4. Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.

   The article critiques the current “aging, expensive, fragile, and unequally distributed infrastructure” and proposes building “affordable, resilient, reliable energy systems” through innovative models like interconnected minigrids.

5. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

   The “Global Women in Clean Energy” program is a direct effort to achieve this target within the energy sector by empowering women to become “leaders in shaping the future of clean energy.”

6. Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.

   The article’s goal to avoid “250 million tons of CO2 emissions” and promote a “low-carbon, climate-resilient future” aligns with integrating climate action into energy and economic development strategies for sub-Saharan African countries.

7. Target 17.3: Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources.

   The text identifies “chronic underinvestment” as a key challenge and highlights the work of RMI’s Catalytic Finance program to “derisk projects and deploy finance” and “mobilize capital to support investment in clean and resilient energy.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article provides several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Indicator for Target 7.1 (Access to energy): The article provides a baseline figure of “600 million Africans without electricity” and a specific goal of helping “390 million people access energy.” Progress can be measured by the reduction in the number of people without electricity access. Another implied indicator is the “average annual consumption,” which the article notes is “far behind the 1,000 kWh modern energy minimum.”
• Indicator for Target 7.2 (Renewable energy share): A clear quantitative indicator is mentioned in RMI’s aim to enable “420 TWh of renewable energy.” The amount of renewable energy capacity installed and generated would be a direct measure of progress.
• Indicator for Target 13.2 (Climate action): The article specifies a measurable goal of avoiding “250 million tons of CO2 emissions.” This provides a direct indicator for climate change mitigation efforts.
• Indicator for Target 5.5 (Women’s leadership): While not a number, the existence and expansion of the “Global Women in Clean Energy” program serves as a qualitative indicator. A quantitative measure would be the number of women fellows trained and the number of women-led projects deployed.
• Indicator for Target 9.1 (Resilient infrastructure): An implied indicator is the reliability of electricity supply. The article states that “more than half of Africans face unreliable electricity supply.” A reduction in power outages and an increase in grid stability would measure progress. The number of interconnected minigrids or embedded generation projects implemented is another concrete indicator.
• Indicator for Target 17.3 (Finance mobilization): The article mentions the need to unlock climate finance and overcome “chronic underinvestment.” An indicator would be the amount of capital mobilized and invested in “bankable” clean energy projects through programs like RMI’s Catalytic Finance.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: rmi.org