Carrying forward Africa’s Priorities for Sustainable Energy in Partnership with IRENA

On Saturday, delegates to IRENA’s High-Level Africa Consultative Forum on Renewable Energy participated in session - "Carrying forward Africa’s Priorities for Sustainable Energy in Partnership with IRENA"

Session Chair Elizabeth Dipuo Peters, Minister of Energy South Africa, said Africa cannot be a charity case forever. Frank Wouters, Masdar, called for an enabling policy framework focused on, among others: encouraging the development of sustainable individual businesses along the entire energy chain and the careful management of subsidies to avoid distorting markets. Christine Eibs Singer, CEO, E+Co, stressed the need for training clean energy entrepreneurs to put together viable, bankable, and investment-attractive business plans.
Karsten Sach, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany, said his country’s commitment to renewable energy technologies was driven by the goal of securing energy access and creating value. Jason Schaffler, Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) highlighted knowledge-sharing initiatives to enhance the uptake of renewable energies in Africa. Sekou Touré, Global Environment Facility (GEF), presented on the experiences and relevance of the GEF in financing energy.