NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 26 — The African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) have reaffirmed their strategic partnership in the energy sector, announcing an ambitious plan to provide at least 100 million Africans with access to clean electricity by 2030 through the Africa–EU Green Energy Initiative.
The commitment was outlined in the Joint Declaration issued at the close of the 7th AU–EU Summit, held on 24–25 November in Luanda.
The summit was co-chaired by Angolan President and AU Chairperson João Lourenço and European Council President António Costa, alongside AU Commission Chair Mahamoud Ali Youssouf and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Marking 25 years of the AU–EU partnership, the leaders celebrated what they described as a steadily deepening relationship rooted in trade, investment, infrastructure development, and people-to-people engagement.
In one of the summit’s most consequential commitments, the AU and EU pledged to expand access to renewable energy across Africa as part of a “fair, just, and sustainable” transition.
The declaration states that the two blocs “commit to continue our strategic cooperation in the energy sector through the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative providing at least 100 million people in Africa with access to clean electricity by 2030.”
The initiative will be guided by Africa’s flagship power-sector frameworks, including the Africa Single Electricity Market (AfSEM), the Continental Power Systems Masterplan (CMP) and the African Energy Efficiency Strategy (AfEES).
The partnership will prioritize renewable energy development for rural electrification, sustainable industrialization, and clean cooking solutions.
The leaders also agreed to leverage the Global Energy Transition Forumto maintain high-level political momentum and mobilize public and private financing to accelerate universal access to “affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy.”
Energy cooperation was part of a broader infrastructure pledge aligned with the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), the AU’s Agenda 2063, and the EU’s Global Gateway strategy.
The declaration reaffirmed joint efforts to advance transport, digital and energy connectivity, including through major cross-border infrastructure such as the Lobito Corridor.
On digital transformation, both continents recognized the sector’s “immense potential” and committed to strengthening cooperation under the AU Digital Transformation Strategy and the EU’s International Digital Strategy.
“We further underline the importance of promoting digital literacy and ensuring online safety, in particular for women and children,” read the declaration.
“We resolve to strengthen efforts on the development of regional innovation ecosystems, including on human-centric and trustworthy artificial intelligence that respects intellectual property rights.”
The summit also highlighted commitments to expand climate-resilient transport systems, promote sustainable aviation fuels, and accelerate the full implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market.
On food security, the AU and EU endorsed the transformation of agriculture and food systems in line with the CAADP Kampala Declaration, acknowledging agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture as central to shared prosperity.
They further pledged cooperation on sustainable natural resource management, combating wildlife trafficking, addressing illegal fishing, and advancing global biodiversity goals.
Reflecting on 25 years since the first AU–EU Summit in Cairo in 2000, the joint declaration celebrated the partnership’s evolution and reaffirmed commitment to implementing the Joint Vision for 2030, first adopted in Brussels in 2022.