Roundup: African campaigners urge investments in renewable energy

There is need for African governments to facilitate investments in renewable energy projects that guarantee the continent a green and prosperous future, campaigners said on Thursday.

Speaking at a high level policy dialogue in Nairobi, the green campaigners urged African countries to roll out policy and regulatory incentives that would encourage investments in clean energy sources.

Mithika Mwenda, the Secretary General of Nairobi-based Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), said a shift from fossil fuels to clean energy was an imperative in order to tackle Africa's ecological and economic challenges.

"Over-reliance on fossil fuels that are costly and hazardous to the atmosphere has been a drawback to Africa's economic progress. We must therefore increase investments in green energy to accelerate prosperity while preserving the planet's ecological integrity," Mwenda said.

Pan African institutions and conservation lobbies have advocated a radical shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy as a means to cushion the continent from harmful impacts of climate change.

Mwenda said African countries lobbied for new funding and technical support toward renewable energy projects from multilateral lenders during the 2015 Paris climate talks.

He added that African leaders, policy makers, investors and scientists are unanimous on the need for the continent to divest from fossil fuels in the light of their erratic prices and negative environmental impacts.

"There is unprecedented political goodwill toward investments in clean energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal. African leaders have made positive steps to halt reliance on fossil fuels that are harmful to the atmosphere," said Mwenda.

He noted that Kenya has attracted the highest volume of foreign direct investments in geothermal and wind power thanks to a host of regulatory incentives and macro-economic stability.

African countries have endorsed global initiatives that promote investments in clean energy to hasten attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Benson Ireri, a program officer with British charity Christian Aid, said a policy dialogue has been reactivated across Sub-Saharan Africa to explore innovative ways to scale up access to clean energy.

"Development of renewable energy is currently a front-line policy agenda in many African countries. Governments are facilitating investments in off-grid renewable energy projects as part of their commitments to fight climate change," said Ireri.

He noted that the cost of clean energy in Africa has slumped thanks to subsidies earmarked for local manufacturers of solar panels and wind turbines. Endit