Energy Transition Africa

African power lines at dusk with overlaid currency symbols, representing local-currency climate finance as a COP30 demand.

Finance in Local Currency: A COP30 Demand for Africa’s Energy Transition

At first glance, Africa’s energy transition looks as though it is finally gaining speed. Solar imports are at record highs, wind farms are sprouting across the Sahel, and hydro projects…

Stacked solar panels in wooden crates on Tangier dockside, crane lifting pallet toward city rooftops at golden hour, symbolising Africa Chinese solar panel imports and dependency.

Energy Transition

Africa’s Solar Surge: Boom or Dependency?

On a hazy morning in Algiers, a flat-bed truck crawls through traffic stacked high with shrink-wrapped photovoltaic panels. It is an increasingly common sight from North Africa’s coast to the…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk August 25, 2025Africa solar imports, Chinese solar panels Africa, climate finance, critical minerals, energy transition, local manufacturing solar Africa, renewable energy transition Africa, rooftop solar Africa, solar dependency Africa

African city with diesel generator and flickering lightbulb in foreground, solar panels and sunrise in background — symbolising outdated zombie energy systems blocking renewable transition.

Energy Transition

Africa’s Zombie Energy Systems: The Hidden Barrier Stalling a Just Transition

The paradox of darkness in the age of sunlight On a humid evening in Lagos, a shopkeeper wheels out a diesel generator, its rattle and fumes filling the street as…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk August 20, 2025Africa energy transition, energy poverty Africa, financing energy Africa, outdated energy infrastructure Africa, regional power pools Africa, renewable energy Africa, solar potential Africa, zombie energy systems

African woman cooking on a traditional three-stone fire with smoke rising, representing energy poverty and the need for clean cooking solutions in rural Africa.

Energy Transition Uncategorized

Who Bears the Burden? Gender and the Energy Transition in Africa

Grace, a mother of four in rural Zambia, wakes before dawn to trek miles for firewood. She balances heavy bundles on her head, prepares meals over a smoky three-stone fire.…

Vincent Egoro August 18, 2025Africa, Energy Poverty in Africa, Gender and Energy Transition in Africa, Gender and Just Energy Transition, just transition, Value Addition of Critical Minerals in SADC, Women and Clean Energy Access

African civil society representative at a negotiation table with climate adaptation maps and debt documents, symbolising Africa’s struggle between fiscal obligations and climate action.

Energy Transition

Debt-for-Climate Swaps: Lifeline or Leash for Africa’s Green Future?

Everybody frames swaps as innovation. But who controls the script, and who ends up on the cutting room floor? Debt-for-climate swaps are enjoying a moment. Policymakers and international institutions are…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 25, 2025Africa, Civil Society, climate finance, climate justice, debt swaps, donor influence, global south, green transition, multilateral banks, sovereign debt

Four children playing under solar streetlights in a Goma neighbourhood at dusk with mountains in the background.

Community Impact Energy Transition

In the Shadow of Conflict, Solar Power is Rebuilding Lives in Goma

It is evening in Goma, and the sun has just slipped behind the jagged hills that surround this bustling city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. As darkness falls,…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 18, 2025Africa energy, clean energy, community resilience, DRC, energy access, Goma, just transition, mini grids, renewable energy, solar energy

African coal town residents contrast with foreign consultants managing climate funds

Community Impact Energy Transition

Who Truly Benefits from Just Transitions in Africa? The Rising Tide of Elite Extraction

In recent years, Africa has been hailed as a leader in designing just transitions, energy shifts that protect both the planet and people. Among the most ambitious is the Just…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 16, 2025Africa, climate finance, coal transition, community inclusion, critical minerals, energy justice, JETP, just transition

African women and children gathered at night under a solar-powered light outside a community centre.

Community Impact Energy Transition

How Solar Mini-Grids Are Transforming Lives in Sub-Saharan Africa’s Conflict Zones

In Sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 600 million people still lack access to electricity. In conflict-affected regions, this problem is compounded by displacement, insecurity, and crumbling infrastructure. Traditional grid extensions are costly,…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 9, 2025community resilience, conflict zones, decentralised energy, energy access, mini-grids, solar energy, Sub-Saharan Africa, women empowerment

African farmers using solar-powered irrigation systems in a rural setting to water crops.

Energy Transition

Africa’s $5 Trillion Renewable Energy Shift: Will Sub-Saharan Communities Reap the Rewards?

When Power Shift Africa released its recent report estimating that Africa could save as much as $5 trillion by transitioning fully to renewable energy by 2050, the headlines wrote themselves.…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 7, 2025climate justice, community benefits, energy transition, green jobs, renewable energy, rural development, Sub-Saharan Africa

A group of African miners raise their fists in solidarity at a critical mineral site, symbolising unity and resistance.

Community Impact Energy Transition

Not Just Green Jobs: African Miners Say the ‘Just Transition’ Is Failing Them

"If our bodies fuel the transition, then we deserve a seat at the table." That was the message from a miner’s union leader in Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk June 30, 2025Africa mining, community impact, critical minerals, energy transition, green minerals, just transition, labour rights, worker safety