China has emerged as a driving force behind Africa’s quest for cleaner and more sustainable energy sources. This partnership is not merely a symbolic gesture; it represents a substantial commitment to bolstering Africa’s renewable energy sector through infrastructure development, financing solutions, and technology transfer.
According to Professor Shirley Ze Yu, who is an MBA professor at the IE Business School and an Honorary Distinguished Foreign Faculty Professor at the National Defence University Pakistan, as well as a political economist,
“using innovative finance and building on long-term partnerships, China is helping to drive Africa’s green energy transition”.
Shirley Ze Yu
Africa’s energy landscape presents a paradox. Despite being home to some of the world’s most promising regions for harnessing solar and wind energy, the continent has struggled to tap into this immense potential. This struggle has left nearly 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa without access to reliable electricity. However, China’s involvement is changing the narrative.
Since the start of the twenty-first century, China has made the single largest investment in renewable energy in Africa. It heavily invests in hydropower in Sub-Saharan Africa, and increasingly in solar, wind, and geothermal energy in West and Southern Africa, North Africa, and East Africa.
It is difficult to overstate but much more difficult to comprehend China’s involvement in Africa’s energy revolution. Why has China been able to partner on energy projects with such success?
while other possible partners have failed to do so?
And in terms of renewable energy with Chinese characteristics, China is playing a significant role in helping Africa switch to cleaner and more sustainable energy sources like solar and wind power. They are doing this by using their expertise in building things like power plants and by providing financial support through their government institutions. This support is crucial because it helps African countries, which often have limited funds, develop big energy projects like hydroelectric dams.
Therefore, even though Africa relies on China for a lot of its clean energy equipment, this partnership isn’t just about business for China. They’re also helping create jobs and training for African workers, which is a big deal because it boosts local economies and helps the projects run smoothly.
