Africa will lead the global agenda on renewable energy and green transition. The continent has abundant solar potential and serves as a catalyst for driving green energy initiatives worldwide.
Those were the words of Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) at a media conference in Nairobi, on the sidelines of the ongoing AFD annual meetings 2024 while articulating Africa’s inherent advantage in renewable energy.
Adesina said there is a lot of interest in green hydrogen, green ammonia, fertilisers, jet fuels, and other things that require renewable energy, such as solar energy.
He added that Africa’s abundant natural resources, including platinum, copper, and lithium, position the continent as a key player in the growing Electric Vehicle (EV) market.
“Africa will drive the global agenda on renewable and green energy transitions for two reasons. We have great sunshine, which has about 11 terawatts of solar potential.
“Globally, we have been talking about global energy transitions. Everybody worries about continued CO2 emissions and the need to contain that through energy transitions and moving into more renewable energy.
“That is the highest solar potential you have anywhere in the world. And the level of solar radiation in Africa is the highest anywhere you will find in the world. So, therefore, as the world now transitions into renewable energy, Africa will be front and centre in terms of harnessing the power of renewable energy to drive our world,” he said.
“And so Africa today has 90 per cent of all the platinum in the world. It has well over 60- 70 per cent of all the copper you have worldwide.
“Fifty per cent of all the other metals, whether nickel or lithium. Africa has a massive amount of these natural metals that will determine the future of electric vehicles in the world.
“And so how Africa harnesses that for its transformation will be critical, but also critical for how Africa positions itself globally in those value chains.”
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