Embrace technology-driven smart options to leap-frog energy log jam

Lazarus Sauti

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) – a multilateral development finance institution established to contribute to the economic development and social progress of African countries, believes at least 750 million Africans rely on biomass for their daily energy needs.

“Over half of Africa’s population lacks access to basic electricity and clean cooking facilities – and the numbers are rising. As a result, most of them rely on biomass for their daily energy needs,” notes the AfDB.

This energy deficit and reliance on carbon-intensive energy systems is setting African economies on collision courses with planetary boundaries.

However, Africa can avoid these collisions, and it simply needs to come up with strategies that can help the continent solve its acute energy problems.

“One of such suggestions is to avoid the traditional slow energy generation and distribution model to technology-driven smart options capable of transforming Africa’s energy sector in the same way Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has transformed the telephone sector in Africa,” charged Alex Rugamba, Director of the AfDB Group’s Energy, Environment and Climate Change Department.

Kofi Anna, chairperson of the Africa Progress Panel (APP), believes Africa has enormous potential for cleaner energy – natural gas and hydro, solar, wind and geothermal power – and should just seek ways to move past the damaging energy systems that have brought the continent to the brink of catastrophe to technology-driven smart options capable of boosting and transforming its economy and to increase energy access.

“The continent of Africa needs to leapfrog into new technologies that are transforming energy systems across the world. It needs to embrace a judicious, dynamic energy mix in which renewable sources will gradually replace fossil fuels.

“This way, the continent is guaranteed to expand its power generation as well as increase access to energy,” he said.

Annan again: “By leapfrogging into new technologies, Africa stands to gain from developing low-carbon energy – energy that is safe and clean. The world stands to gain from Africa avoiding the high-carbon pathway followed by today’s rich world and emerging markets.”

The Africa Progress Panel 2015 Report notes that the technology to generate safe and clean energy is there, but the continent lacks the political leadership and practical policies needed to break the link between energy and emissions, an idea supported by Andrew Alli, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of African Finance Corporation of Nigeria, who also said “the technology is already there; it is a question of finance and economics.”

Alli advises that leapfrogging into new technologies requires decisive action on the part of Africa’s leaders, especially in reforming inefficient, inequitable and often corrupt utilities that have failed to develop flexible energy systems to provide firms with a reliable power supply and people with access to electricity.

Linda Mabhena-Olagunju, founder of the Renewable and Energy Forum South Africa as well as founder and managing director of DLO Energy Resources (Pty) Ltd, a wholly black female owned investment and advisory company operating within the energy sector in Africa, says tackling Africa’s interlocking climate and energy problems requires policy certainty as well as strengthened international cooperation.

“Unlocking Africa’s energy potential and putting in place the foundations for a climate resilient, low-carbon future requires policy certainty over and above ambitious, efficient and properly financed multilateral cooperation,” she said.

Adama Toungara, Cote d’Ivoire’s Energy and Petroleum Minister, urges private sector players in African countries to support governments in embracing technology-driven smart options such as solar and wind energy projects so as to effectively fix energy challenges.

“African governments are not good managers of their respective power sectors. They are pressed with many challenges such as insufficient capital, lack of investment, the absence of a privatisation plan as well as an inefficient regulatory framework.

“Therefore, public and private sector partners should support governments with funding of technology driven smart options such as solar and wind energy projects if the continent is to alleviate its energy poverty,” said Toungara.

Given that Africa’s energy challenge is framed by a population of 600 million people without power, which is expected to balloon to one billion people soon, there is a compelling need to fix the continent’s energy sector. One sure way is to embrace technology-driven smart options such as wind and solar.