“Energy poverty remains a significant barrier to development. Approximately 50 percent of the Southern African population, and over 600 million people across the continent lack access to electricity. Millions still rely on biomass fuels, such as firewood and charcoal for heating, which leads to severe indoor pollution and health related adverse effects”. Said Mr. Credo Nanjuwa, Provincial Minister, Southern Province, speaking during the official opening of the Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials (ICSOE) and Experts of Southern Africa Session that took place from 20-21 November 2024 in Livingstone, Zambia.

The Minister’s speech at the 30th ICSOE Session on the theme, “Addressing the energy deficit in Southern Africa through investments in new and renewable energy technologies to reduce energy poverty and accelerate sustainable industrialization and structural transformation”, was delivered by Mr. Peter Mumba, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy, who applauded the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Secretariat for mobilizing consensus among member States on development issues and encouraged the eleven member States to maintain the momentum on Southern African efforts to address the absence of harmonised policy and regulatory frameworks as well as long-term policies that could de-risk the electricity markets to encourage private investment.

He cited other major constraints that the region is facing including limited access to affordable financing for the capital-intensive energy projects, insufficient transmission infrastructure, and the uncompetitive electricity market due to low tariffs, including feed-in tariffs. He advised that, “expanding into these renewable sources could be one of the quickest and most effective ways to bridge the energy gap and advance development goals”. (Press Release)

During a youth dialogue, a special event at the AEC 2024, experts explored how technological innovation could promote economic stability and growth in Africa.

Moderating the discussion, Adetola Akinola said the objective of the session was to examine how technological innovation, particularly at universities, could drive sustainable development in African economies. The aim would be to balance economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion, while utilising Africa’s most valuable asset, the youth, to address the present challenges to Africa’s transformation and economic development.

Opening the conversation, Moumouni Dialla, President of the PAN African Youth Union, emphasised the need for regional and international cooperation in developing the continent’s technological resilience. “Africa has to welcome alliances that guarantee long-term development goals and are not overwhelmed by transient benefits,” he said. He underlined the necessity of integrating skill development into education, encouraging international specialisation to support friendly rivalry, and attract key technological investments. From his vantage point, continental cooperation and sustainable innovation must start with partnerships. (Press Release)

The 2024 Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) Week opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with a clarion call for key players to leverage transformative financing and regional integration for sustainable development of the infrastructure sector.

Participants agreed that greater economic activity, enhanced efficiency and increased competitiveness on the continent were continually being hampered by inadequate transport, communication, water and power infrastructure.

“Inadequate infrastructure increases the continent’s production and transaction costs, which reduces its competitiveness in the global market,” said Claver Gatete, Under Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

Gatete further noted that Africa’s infrastructure deficit lowers its per capita economic growth by 2% a year and reduces the productivity of its firms by as much as 40%. (Press Release)

The United States Government through its Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched the Markets for Sanitation (M4S) project, a $31 million, five-year initiative that will improve access to sanitation and hygiene services across Ethiopia. The project focuses on reaching the most vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls. The USAID-funded M4S builds on the success of the USAID Transform WASH project, an eight-year, $47.5 million initiative that supported over 500 sanitation businesses and helped more than one million Ethiopians gain access to improved sanitation services. 

The new USAID M4S project will be implemented in Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Sidama, Somali, South Ethiopia, Central Ethiopia, and Southwest Ethiopia. It aims to provide 5.4 million people with access to basic sanitation and enable 180,000 women and girls to access menstrual health and hygiene products. 

The USAID M4S will address long-standing challenges in Ethiopia’s sanitation and hygiene sector by promoting market-based solutions that drive sustainable and inclusive growth. By fostering a competitive sanitation market, the project seeks to ensure that sanitation products and services are both affordable and accessible to all, creating lasting economic and social benefits for communities. (Press Release)