Renewable Energy and Green Technologies for Sustainable Development: Driving EU-Africa Cooperation

Energy transition for security, affordability and fighting climate change

The global transition to clean energy has never been more urgent: for our security, our economies, and our planet. With the severe impacts of climate change being felt across the world, countries are reinforcing their resilience, forging new alliances, and seeking new solutions for clean and efficient energy. The Global Stocktaking Outcome of COP28 reflects this urgency, emphasizing the need to triple renewable energy capacity, double energy efficiency worldwide, and to transition away from fossil fuels. In this context, the partnership between Europe and Africa is vital: not only for safeguarding the environment, but also for the economic and social stability of both our continents.

Energy access

Today, nearly 600 million people in Africa lack access to reliable electricity and close to 1 billion lack access to clean cooking (four out of every five people). This lack of access holds back African families on many fronts.

As well as bringing major health and environmental consequences, it restricts education, entrepreneurship, and gender equity. It also hinders businesses from adopting modern and efficient tools that could increase productivity and economic prosperity.

Many of those without access are in rural areas, where grid extensions are financially and logistically very difficult to put in place. In these regions, decentralized renewable energy systems, such as mini-grids and solar home systems, can deliver power to remote communities otherwise isolated from national grids. Not only are these systems adaptable and scalable, but they also offer resilience against climate disruptions, providing consistent energy supply where central grids cannot reach.

Investing in Africa’s potential

Yet, if we can crack these challenges, we will unleash major opportunities. Africa is endowed with abundant renewable resources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. It can gain substantially from the transition to a greener economy. However, the continent attracts only 3% of global energy investment. Potential investors face challenges including high capital costs, regulatory uncertainties, geographic barriers, and supply chain constraints. To be on track to meet its energy access and climate goals, Africa would need to quadruple its renewable capacity by the end of the decade, up from around 70 GW of renewable capacity.

It is estimated that USD 110 billion of renewable energy investment is needed annually through 2030 to meet these goals and to build renewable energy ecosystems across the continent. This is where EU-Africa cooperation can act as a leveraging force.

EU offers

With the Global Gateway initiative, the EU has put in place a new strategy for international cooperation. We are boosting smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors, as well as strengthening health, education and research systems across the world. Through its EUR 150 billion Africa-Europe Investment package, the EU seeks to bolster sustainable development in infrastructure, innovation, and inclusive growth. For instance, the Team Europe ‘Africa-Europe Green Energy Initiative’ aims to support the deployment of at least 50 GW of new renewable electricity generation capacity and to provide at least 100 million people in Africa with access to electricity, by 2030. This means increasing investment in energy systems that not only provide power to underserved communities but also enhance resilience against climate disruptions. 

The European Green Deal and the Clean Industrial Deal are the EU’s framework for green innovation and industrial transformation. Both contain important international relations strands which converge with Africa’s rich potential.

By merging European technological expertise with Africa’s abundant resources in renewable energy, critical raw materials, and a young, educated workforce, our partnership offers unprecedented opportunities for bilateral cooperation and investments in local value chains and jobs. 

Alongside these flagship strategies, we are taking on additional initiatives to expand renewable energy and address energy poverty across Africa. For example, the “Scaling Up Renewables in Africa” campaign, launched jointly by the European Commission and South Africa, targets fast-tracking energy access. This campaign works in line with the “Mission 300” initiative by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank to expand renewable energy production throughout Africa.

Under this campaign, on 27 September 2025, the European Commission announced a EUR 545 million package. In a Team Europe approach, it will be implemented by the EU and its Member States as well as European Financial Institutions to boost electricity access, modernize power grids, and promote sustainable development and climate goals. The funding will support various projects, including a high-voltage line in Côte d’Ivoire, rural electrification in Cameroon and Somalia, and rural mini-grids in Madagascar.

A just transition to future opportunities

For African countries that rely on fossil fuels for energy supply and economic stability, the transition to clean energy poses a significant challenge. Still, there are pathways to gradually shift towards a more balanced and sustainable energy portfolio. Creating incentives to invest in renewables would be a strategic starting point. This could include subsidies for renewable energy projects, tax breaks for green technology innovations, and establishing tariffs that favour cleaner energy sources and therefore attract specialised industry.

Just Energy Transition Partnerships such as the ones established with South Africa and Senegal are designed to deliver climate finance that support developing countries to accelerate the transition to an equitable and socially inclusive low-carbon economy.

Capacity building continues to be a central pillar of this cooperation, ensuring that knowledge transfer and skills development programs empower local communities and stakeholders to take charge of their own energy futures. Further, collaborations with European companies and research institutions can stimulate local entrepreneurship and innovation in the green technology sector.

For example, innovations in solar technology, including floating solar panels on bodies of water, offer solutions to land scarcity, especially in highly urbanized regions, while generating clean energy. Wind energy, particularly in regions such as the Horn of Africa and the Saharan desert, and small-scale hydropower projects can also play critical roles in diversifying the continent’s energy mix.

Outlook

The global transition to clean energy has never been more urgent. But it has also never been more laden with opportunities. By embracing renewable energy and clean technologies, we can transform Africa into a clean energy powerhouse. This will bring global benefits by lowering emissions, while also bringing mutual benefits on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea. We can deliver energy security and economic stability. We can drive inclusive growth, embracing social equity and climate resilience. Ultimately, the journey towards a sustainable energy future for Africa and Europe is not simply about energy transition – it is about socio-economic transformation. It is a journey that we must take, and a transformation that we can achieve, together.