Africa: UK-Africa Clean Energy Partnerships Tackle Generator Reliance At London Climate Event

London, UK — UK and African innovators are ramping up efforts to replace fossil fuel generators with renewable energy solutions, as showcased at the ZE-Gen: Powering Productivity, Accelerating Investment event during London Climate Action Week.

UK Special Representative for Climate, Rachel Kyte, highlighted the wide-ranging benefits of such partnerships, including economic growth, improved health, and reduced environmental harm in regions grappling with unreliable electricity.

ZE-Gen, a joint initiative by the Carbon Trust and Innovate UK, is backing clean energy projects in countries such as Ivory Coast, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and the UK. The programme supports more than 50 organisations working to replace diesel generators with sustainable alternatives across key sectors like SMEs, healthcare, telecommunications, and humanitarian services.

To date, ZE-Gen has catalysed £39.75 million in investment, with funding from the IKEA Foundation and the UK Government's Ayrton Fund. Over 35 projects have already been deployed in Africa and Asia, demonstrating scalable, off-grid clean power solutions.

Globally, about 1.5 billion people lack reliable electricity access, with many relying on polluting diesel generators. These generators are not only expensive to run but also contribute to air pollution and health risks such as respiratory illness and hearing impairment.

Despite emerging markets representing two-thirds of the world's population, they receive just 15% of global clean energy investment. ZE-Gen aims to bridge that gap by de-risking early-stage innovations and supporting local delivery.

Speakers at the event include representatives from the World Health Organization, Vodafone, Mirova Asset Management, Tony Blair Institute, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), and others, underscoring a multi-sectoral approach to accelerating the clean energy transition in underserved regions.

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