Africa\u2019s vast potential for renewable energy, combined with China\u2019s technological expertise and investment capacity, presents a unique opportunity for mutual economic growth, experts say.<\/p>\n
This collaboration can drive sustainable development, alleviate energy poverty and stimulate economic activities across the African continent, they said.<\/p>\n
Speaking during the African Development Bank Group\u2019s annual meeting in Kenya\u2019s capital Nairobi, which concluded recently, Kevin Kariuki, the bank\u2019s vice-president for power, energy, climate and green growth, said the continent needs to tap into renewable energy for industrial growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that by investing in Africa\u2019s renewable energy infrastructure, China can help build large-scale solar farms, wind farms and hydroelectric plants. These investments can provide reliable and affordable energy, which is crucial for economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The continent has not fully tapped into its renewable energy sector, according to the State of Africa\u2019s Infrastructure Report 2024 published last month by the Africa Finance Corporation.<\/p>\n
This has continued to affect its economic growth rate, especially in the manufacturing sector, the report said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur inability to tap into the renewable energy sector continues to slow down our growth rate,\u201d African Development Bank Group President Akinwumi Adesina said.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday our continent harnesses only a fraction of its renewable energy resources, with 1 percent of its solar potential, 5 percent of gas-to-power, 6 percent of geothermal, 7 percent of wind and 11 percent of hydropower. Hence, we cannot compete with other regions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Africa should forge renewable collaboration with China to unlock its energy potential, Adesina said.<\/p>\n
Expanded investment<\/strong> \u201cOne of the ways is to share expertise and provide training,\u201d Adesina said. \u201cChina can help build local capacities to manage and sustain renewable energy projects. This can be done through joint ventures, scholarships for African students in Chinese universities and the establishment of research and development centers in Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to benefiting from Chinese technology, delegates at the meeting also called on African countries to develop renewable energy regulatory frameworks that foster investments and partnerships.<\/p>\n \u201cChina can assist by sharing its experiences in creating effective renewable energy policies and regulatory frameworks,\u201d Kariuki said. \u201cCollaborative efforts can also focus on developing regional energy markets and grid interconnections, enabling countries to share renewable energy resources more efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul Muthaura, CEO of the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative, identified financing as a major obstacle hindering renewable energy projects in Africa, highlighting China\u2019s potential to offer low-interest loans, thus bolstering support for such initiatives across the continent.<\/p>\n Although African countries in general lag behind in renewable energy development, countries such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are implementing ambitious renewable energy development policies.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no doubt that renewable energy has the potential to provide electricity to the 600 million Africans currently deprived of it, create jobs and stimulate industrial revolution in the continent,\u201d Muthaura said.<\/p>\n The post Joint green efforts by Africa, China key to growth<\/a> first appeared on KBC<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Africa\u2019s vast potential for renewable energy, combined with China\u2019s technological expertise and investment capacity, presents a unique opportunity for mutual economic growth, experts say. This collaboration can drive sustainable development, alleviate energy poverty and stimulate economic activities across the African continent, they said. Speaking during the African Development Bank Group\u2019s annual meeting in Kenya\u2019s capital […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIn recent years, China has expanded investment in renewable energy in Africa. In Garissa County, Kenya, a Chinese-built solar power plant has contributed to Kenya\u2019s energy grid, supporting local industries and communities, while helping reduce more than 43,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, Kenya\u2019s Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation said.<\/p>\n