Source: United Nations secretary general
Your Excellency Mr. Doto Biteko, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy of the United Republic of Tanzani], Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I want to start by thanking the Government of Tanzania and the African Union for its leadership; and the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the Mission 300 partners for convening this Summit.
Mission 300’s has undertaken an enormous task: to help close the energy access gap and unlock sustainable development across the continent by delivering electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.
As we have heard, we face a stark reality: 685 million people across the continent still lack access to electricity, with the gap widening as population growth outpaces new electricity connections.
And yet, Africa is richly endowed with natural resources vital for renewable energy technologies: it is home to 60 per cent of the world’s best solar resources and possesses vast wind, hydro, and geothermal potential.
And critical minerals mined in Africa are powering the renewables revolution around the world.
Despite this abundance, and record global investments in renewable energies worldwide, Africa continues to be left behind and many Africans continue to lack access to clean, affordable energy.
This injustice must be urgently resolved.
Access to electricity is an essential development requirement, one that can also be the multiplier for acceleration in building a sustainable future for all
Providing clean energy to local communities, represents a unique opportunity to improve health, widen access to education and social protection, make food systems resilient, create green jobs and e-commerce and financial services while at the same time protecting the environment and the biodiversity.
We have heard our distinguished speakers discuss why companies and governments should get involved.
The business case is clear: the falling costs of renewables and storage offer a great opportunity to deliver access to energy, energy security and sovereignty, and climate resilience.
With the new African Continental Free Trade Area , aiming at a trade zone without barriers to the transfer of goods and services, the business opportunities will further multiply if the right policy environments, coherent and predictable, are put in place.
As we move into discussing what policies and reforms for transforming African Energy can enable millions to access to energy, I would like to focus on three areas of urgent attention for policy makers:
First, fostering policy coherence.
We are 5 years away from the target of our SDGs. And we are not on track.
Policy makers and the international institutions need to strive to ensure sector wide plans are coherent and aligned with the achievement of the SDGs due in 2030, while investors need robust regulatory laws in place to ensure business can operate aligned with them.
At this Summit, Mission 300 target countries are presenting their first national energy strategies for achieving universal energy access. These strategies need to be part of a broader plan, one that while achieving universal energy access need to be aligned with the new economy-wide national climate action plans – or NDCs – consistent with 1.5 degrees, well before COP 30 in November.
NDCs represent a unique opportunity for all countries to align their new climate plans and energy strategies, together with addressing adaptation needs.
NDCs must coordinate the transition from fossil fuels with scaling of renewables and grid modernization and expansion, ensuring energy security and affordability.
And they must be anchored in justice – providing support for affected workers and communities.
If done right, climate plans align with national development priorities and double as investment plans – becoming blueprints for a more sustainable and prosperous future.
Excellencies,
The Secretary-General’s panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals offers important Principles and Actionable Recommendations to ensure this new era does not repeat historical patterns of exploitation.
SE4ALL, UN Resident Coordinators and Country Teams will continue to support country level policy reforms, integrate stakeholder innovations, build institutional capacities, and boost infrastructure investments across the entire clean energy supply chain.
Second, mobilizing finance and support.
While private sector investments and innovation are important, public financing, remains vital – especially in modernizing grid infrastructure to expand access and integrate renewables.
Blending concessional public funds with commercial funds can help multiply renewable energy investments in developing countries.
We must work to strengthen the health of Africa’s public finances, and tackle unsustainable debt burdens that are crowding out essential public investments.
The fourth conference on Finance for Development that will take place in July to underpin the needs for long-term concessional finance and the 1.3 trillion roadmap, agreed in Baku, that needs to be delivered by COP 30 in Brazil must provide investments to scale up, among others, the energy transition.
Third, enhancing transparent international cooperation.
International investments and cross-border partnerships hold the key to delivering electricity projects at a massive scale.
Institutions must be strengthened to operate in complex regulatory environments, with multiple actors across jurisdictions.
Public private partnerships need to be subject to stable and transparent public procurement rules throughout the whole project cycle, rules that prioritize long term sustainability and allow for mutually beneficial contractual relationships.
Transparency and accountability should be a hallmark of Mission 300, and set a new standard for cooperation across the continent.
Excellencies,
As we start the 5-year countdown to delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals, and mark the tenth-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement, let us work together to illuminate the lives of millions, power the industries of tomorrow, and ensure that no one is left behind in the race to deliver universal clean energy, climate resilience, and economic prosperity.
Thank you.
MIL OSI United Nations News –
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