African countries are one step closer to realizing the goals of universal energy access through following a coordinated approach to energy sector development at the country level according to speakers at a special session held during the Second Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) Forum in New York.
During a high-level session on SE4All country action processes in Africa, representatives from the energy ministries of Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, presented their countries' progress on SE4All Action Agendas and Investment Prospectuses, describing their vision and targets until 2030, priority actions, financing needs and investment opportunities. Progress made on these strategies will contribute greatly to future investment in the sector.
Speaking at the event, Alain Harelimana, Advisor to the Ministry of Infrastructure of Rwanda, noted that "The Action Agenda is as much a holistic planning tool encompassing our long-term vision as it is a framework to help align stakeholder objectives and partner interventions to mobilize necessary investments." Uganda's Minister of Energy and Minerals, Irene Muloni, stressed that Uganda's SE4All Action Agenda is undergoing validation, while an Investment Prospectus is expected to be developed later this year.
To date, 44 African countries have joined the SE4All initiative, the majority of which have completed rapid assessments to determine the main challenges and opportunities in achieving SE4All objectives.
During the session, Daniel-Alexander Schroth, AfDB's SE4All Africa Hub Coordinator, further stated, "The continent is making considerable progress on SE4All with 26 African countries developing SE4All Action Agendas, while 17 countries are in the process of developing SE4All Investment Prospectuses. These nationally owned documents provide a credible framework for mobilizing investments."
A panel of public and private sector institutions from the European Commission, the United States African Development Foundation as one of the Power Africa partners, Standard Bank and the Global LPG Partnership highlighted the importance of energy sector reforms, credible planning frameworks, and recommended available financial instruments to assist countries in implementing their agendas and prospectuses.
The SE4All Africa Hub partners representatives opened the session, including Aboubakari Baba-Moussa, Director of Infrastructure and Energy, African Union Commission; Ruby Sandhu-Rojon, Deputy Director, UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa; and Prof. Mosad Elmissiry, Head of Energy Division, NEPAD.
The Second SE4All Forum, held in New York from May 18 to 21, brings together 1,500 experts from the government, private sector, civil society and development sectors.
About SE4All: Launched in 2011, the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) Initiative aims to ensure universal access to modern energy services, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency and double the share of renewable energy in the global mix by 2030. The SE4All Action Agenda is a country-level umbrella framework for energy sector development with a long-term vision, ensuring overall sector-wide coherence and synergy of the accumulated efforts towards the three goals. The SE4All Africa Hub is hosted by AfDB's Energy, Environment and Climate Change Department, in partnership with the African Union Commission, the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, and UNDP.
