Date: 13 July 2021
Organizer: IRENA
Description: The COVID-19 pandemic came at a time when Sub-Saharan African countries were already facing severe challenges towards achieving SDG7 objectives. Data shows that at least 25 African countries have electricity access rates of less than 40 per cent. Access to clean cooking is still one of the significant challenges. Additionally, the region’s growing population and economic progress call for a rapid increase in supply on the continent, to which renewable energy must contribute in the decades ahead. Africa therefore has a unique opportunity to pursue sustainable energy development as a basis for long-term prosperity. In this context, through partnerships at continental, sub-regional and national levels, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has been supporting Sub-Saharan African countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, energy security and low-carbon economic growth. The event will bring together national and sub-regional stakeholders from across Africa to reflect and agree on the role of the energy transformation in Africa’s response to the current crisis and beyond.
