Against all odds, Africa is striving towards a sustainable energy future through public-private partnerships.
Take Gambia’s strategy to diversify its energy mix from 100% fossil fuels, to include renewable energy, for example.
It emerged at the Green Energy Africa Summit, that 50% of power generation is solar. Abdoulie Jobe, Minister of Petroleum and Energy in Gambia, confirmed plans to scale up renewable energy, to include an additional 23Megawatts (MW) with 8MW storage, which will support a planned solar facility.
Gambia will also obtain additional electricity from neighboring Guinea’s OMVG hydro energy supply project (Organization pour La Mise en Valeur du Fleuve Gambie).
“The country is faced with a challenge of modernizing infrastructure, and simultaneously, provide quality renewable electricity.”
Another country making headway, is Botswana.
Projects are being fast-tracked to ensure they come on stream before 2030.
Off-grid solar, is already underway to remote rural areas.
Industries such as mines are already using enviro friendly methods.
Lefoko Moagi, Minister of Minerals and Energy of Botswana, said new technologies such as dysulphurization of coal, is used. The country plans to bring on stream another 200 MW of solar and140MW of storage by 2030. He said private-public partnerships are key to achieve this.
Through the Morupule facility, desulfurization ensures a 79% reduction in sulphur.
Because mining uses loads of diesel, green hydrogen is also under investigation to ultimately win the truck industry off diesel.
Ethopia’s plans to diversify, include an increase of solar and wind to 1,6 Gigawatts. The country is already using 90% hydropower, and admits private company expertise will be required to achieve this target.
The power gas impact, is also under investigation for possible future prospects.
Picture: Hon. Lefoko Moagi, Minister of Minerals and Energy, Botswana , Hon. Aissatou Sophie Gladima Siby, Minister of Petroleum & Energy, Republic of Senegal and Hon. Dr. Ing. Habtamu Itefa Geleta, Minister of Water and Energy, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia