Renewables and Natural Gas: What is their role in Africa’s energy journey?
Wednesday 9 March 2022
Time: 14:00 – 15:30 Central Africa Time (13:00 – 14:30 CET Paris)
During this RENdez-vous Africa we have discussed the role of natural gas in addressing the continent challenges.
Africa’s ambitious economic and social goals require accelerated progress in expanding energy capacity. But what should this energy mix look like? What is the role of gas in this discussion? How much can renewables and gas each contribute to powering the continent’s industrialisation?
Did you miss the discussion or want a quick recap?
Watch the video below and read the Africa Roundup #1 newsletter.
Panellists
Charles Nyirahuku, African Natural Resources
Jacob Kincer, Energy for Growth Hub
Linus Mofor, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Amos Wemanya, Power Shift Africa
RENdez-vous Africa: Dialogue Series | Strategic discussions around renewables in Africa
Competing priorities—economic recovery, stabilising health crisis—exacerbated by COVID-19 are reducing the space for a public discourse for the uptake of renewables and the broader energy transition.
This clearly threatens the momentum renewables have generated over the last decade, and even risks reversing some of the hard-fought gains. The weak links in the sector, i.e. scattered voices, disconnected priorities, limited scale and resources need to be strengthened, particularly in critical hot-spots and in vulnerable countries. We need to work together more strategically, to bring renewables to the centre of attention and planning to drive economic growth, social equity, and innovation.
Doing this requires integrating renewables across all sectors and creating societal support. It is also about building and bringing the community together more strategically, to increase its collective influence in the global energy debate, linking global and local voices.
Making renewable energy mainstream also requires forging bridges outside of the renewable energy bubble well beyond the “usual suspects”. We need to identify, build on and collaborate with players to collectively widen and amplify the renewable energy voice. This means broadening the renewable energy community regionally and into new sectors. It also involves bringing the right information to this community so it can be more effective, strategic and influential.
The strategies and narratives to make renewable energy mainstream differ regionally. We need to understand the underlying drivers and drags to renewables uptake in each region and develop strategies to address or enhance them. In Africa, strategies to move to renewable energy need to be situated in the context of green recovery, energy growth and sustainable development. This is critical to create societal support for renewables, support economic development and innovation and develop a renewable narrative beyond the climate topic.
What is a RENdez-vous?
REN21 hosts these events to inspire and to offer opportunities to learn and share across sectors. While each event is unique, one thing remains consistent: at every RENdez-vous there is time to meet and network with people from the greater renewables community, inclusive of many different sectors. Learn more and join the next event…
