AUC-IEA FIRST MINISTERIAL FORUM
on The Future of Africa’s Energy

12 June 2019
African Union Headquarters
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Speech of the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy H.E. Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid

• Honourable minister chair of the STC Prof Mohamed Shaker
• Honourable Ministers
• Your Excellencies Ambassadors;
• Executive Director of the International Energy Agency;
• Distinguished Guests;
• Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am delighted to welcome you to the African Union for the first Ministerial Forum organised by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). This is the first major joint event since the AUC and IEA signed a Memorandum of Understanding last year.

The objective of this forum is to bring together energy ministers from Africa and energy ministers of IEA member countries to dialogue on the Africa’s energy future and the critical role that both sides play in securing that future. Securing Africa’s energy future is essential and necessary as prerequisite to the wellbeing of Africans, to growth and to development. It is also undeniably a moral cause, knowing that more than half the population of this Continent has no access to reliable source of energy.
For the Continent to catch up and to leapfrog implies a sense of urgency.
This is a big task that the public sector can do alone. private sector and civil society stakeholders are, therefore, are key and their contribution in this forum is important.

The dialogue today seeks to underscore the need for concerted efforts in addressing the different elements that need to be in place as Africa aspires for a secure energy future. It is for this reason that critical topics have been selected ranging from universal access for electricity and clean cooking, to technology development for a digital future without forgetting Africa’s global position in the energy transition.

The collaboration between the African Union Commission and the IEA have a good history working together. The main areas of cooperation have been energy data analysis where AUC has benefited from IEA’s expertise and IEA’s flagship publication of Energy Outlook for which AUC has been part of the review process. The renewed cooperation following the signing of the MOU is working towards expanding this partnership and harnessing the strengths of the two organisations in advancing the energy sector development to achieve our shared goals.

▪ Excellencies;
▪ Ladies and Gentlemen:

This Ministerial forum is taking place at a time when the AfCFTA IS ENTERING INTO FORCE. When there is need for energy for industrialisation for the goods to be traded… when our countries seek to diversify and transform raw materials for value addition … when the Continent is digitalising every sector... When integrating transport projects are being laid out ... none of this would work without energy.

And I can tell you there is renewed commitment by the African Union and partners towards attaining universal energy access, including clean cooking, and targets on climate change and climate resilient energy infrastructure. In pursuing these targets, it is imperative to take cognisance of the dynamics in the continent and how this affects the pathways adopted for the energy transition. The current demographic set up in Africa and its outlook to 2050, implies that decision makers must formulate policies and strategies that motivate integration of climate resilience and, demographically, to ensure women and youth play a greater role in the energy sector.

Their inclusion will not only lead to benefits associated with increased effectiveness and access but will also enhance entrepreneurship and job creation.

The third important dynamic to consider is the important place of innovation driven by digitalisation. If well harnessed, this has the potential to make significant contribution to the novel models that allow effective access and improved quality of life for millions of Africans. During this forum, the role of innovation and digitalization will be debated.

The growth of decentralized renewable energy systems can be attributed to the innovations in smart metering, mobile payments and internet of things that have enabled design of smart appliances with higher energy consumption efficiencies than previously thought possible.

These are important ingredients for the further development of decentralized renewable energy systems, which are inevitable for closing the energy access gap within the timeframe of 2030.

▪ Excellencies;
▪ Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is, therefore, with much anticipation that I welcome you to this forum and invite you to contribute to the policy dialogue. The forum will draw from your vast experiences and pool of knowledge, which will go a long way in shaping the recommendations made as well as the focus of programmes that will shape the path of Africa’s energy future.

The AUC and IEA would like to make this forum an annual event to encourage structured high level dialogue on important issues affecting the energy transition in Africa. The outcomes will feed into existing structures including the Europe-Africa Alliance and Platform for Sustainable Energy Investments, the AU-EU Energy Partnership and the Joint Africa-EU Strategy. The recommendations will ultimately be channeled to the Specialised Technical Committee on Transport, Energy and Tourism, which is the AU policy organ for the sector. We count on your support to make this forum a success and value adding.

With these few remarks I thank you for your kind attention and invite my co-host Dr. Faith Birol to make his remarks.

Thank you