The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative have launched Africa's Decade of Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL), which will focus on the theme of energy and maternal and child health for its first two years.
The launch took place at the AfDB Annual Meeting, taking place in Kigali, Rwanda, from 19-21 May 2014.
20 May 2014: The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative have launched Africa’s Decade of Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL), which will focus on the theme of energy and maternal and child health for its first two years. The launch took place at the AfDB Annual Meeting, which convened in Kigali, Rwanda, from 19-21 May 2014.
In late 2012, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) declared 2014-2024 the SE4ALL Decade. To date, 42 Sub-Saharan countries have joined the SE4ALL initiative in Africa, where 57% of the population, totaling about 600 million people, lack access to electricity.
The launch of the Decade featured a high-level discussion, where Kandeh Yumkella, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Chief Executive of the SE4ALL initiative, urged African countries to advance the initiative’s 2030 objectives of universal energy access and doubling of energy efficiency and renewable energy by adopting national action plans and performance indicators.
AfDB President Donald Kaberuka emphasized the need for countries to encourage energy investment through regulations and policies. Noting the significant energy resources available on the African continent, including renewable energies, he said that, if used effectively, these “could bring electricity to the entire continent,” while stressing that “this will require better regional integration of energy markets.”
Other speakers included: Alemayehu Tegenu, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Ethiopia; Silas Lwakabamba, Minister of Infrastructure, Rwanda; Elham Ibrahim, Commissioner for Infrastructure, African Union Commission (AUC); and Adnan Amin, Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
AfDB is the host of the African hub for SE4ALL, in partnership with the AUC, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). [Launch of Africa’s Decade of SE4ALL] [AfDB Press Release on the Launch] [AfDB Press Release on Energy and Maternal and Child Health]