CAIRO – Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tareq el Mulla said Egypt is preparing an initiative to develop the energy transition in Africa, noting that it will be launched at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the UNFCCC in Sharm El-Sheikh in November.
The initiative is being prepared in cooperation with the African Union (AU) and African energy ministers, the minister said during his participation in a ministerial discussion session.
The session was held under the theme “The International Energy Agency Community” and was attended by the energy ministers from 44 countries. It was held on the sidelines of the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s 2022 Ministerial Meeting.
In a statement on Friday, the Petroleum Ministry said that Mulla, in his word at the meeting, stressed the necessity of cooperation and integration to create the appropriate conditions for the African continent to achieve the energy transition in a balanced way that takes into consideration the continent’s requirements and its economic and living conditions.
Mulla also underlined the global role in providing the necessary financing and technologies to the African continent in order to support it in obtaining clean energy with low carbon emissions.
According to the IEA, Africa is already one of the regions of the world most affected by climate disorders and is home to one-sixth of the global population. Yet, it accounts for less than 6% of global energy consumption and 2% of cumulative global emissions.
The continent faces a parallel imperative of extending electricity access to hundreds of millions of citizens who are currently deprived of it, which would stimulate economic growth and help attain sustainable development goals.
