The UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group for Africa, supported by the Royal African Society and Oxfam, is undertaking a parliamentary policy inquiry into UK-African Partnerships and Just Energy Transitions.

 

Africa overall contributes less than 4% to global emissions yet suffers some of the worst consequences of the climate crisis pushing people further into hunger and poverty (including an estimated loss of between 5% and 15% of its GDP per capita growth annually). In Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) 567 million people are without access to electricity – 80% of the global total, while 970 million lack access to clean cooking. Yet despite this, and its abundant natural resources, SSA only attracts around 2-3% of global annual investments in clean energy.

 

The inquiry is led by Lord Jonny Oates (Co-chair of the APPG) aims to bring the experience and narratives of African stakeholders of energy transitions to Westminster to better inform parliamentary debate, scrutiny and policy making. The inquiry is currently gathering written and oral evidence to inform the policy report complete with practical policy recommendations for UK Government which will be published Summer 2024 .

 

The Inquiry objectives are to:

1. Increase public awareness of energy requirements across Africa and options for meeting them
2. Educate British parliamentarians on the range of interlocking issues that are involved,
3. Provide an opportunity for UK parliamentarians and the wider public to hear African views on what a just, clean and developmental transition means amongst African stakeholders, and from industry and investors on how changes can be achieved in practice,
4. Influence government policy by presenting fact-based analysis and clear recommendations, presenting them to government and putting them in the public domain,
5. Thereby help deliver increased domestic and international support to African countries pursuing just energy transition strategies.

 

Inquiry Terms of Reference:

• To seek a wide range of expert views from researchers and practitioners, especially from Africa, on the factors affecting Africa’s energy supply: the needs, constraints, options and objectives
• To examine and assess the alternative ways of swiftly addressing the challenge of energy poverty in Africa, through renewables and other sources of energy (including the role of hydrocarbon ), and how to finance the necessary investments
• To consider how Africa can manage its energy transition consistent with the principles of a just transition, the continents development needs and continental and global climate targets for emissions, resilience and adaptation
• To recommend where appropriate policy and action for the British government, investors and private sector actors.

 

Oral Evidence Session 1: Energy Access and Social and Environmental Justice: How can UK policy contribute to Just Energy Transitions in Africa? (16^th November 2023)

 

Teleola Oyegoke Lead, Country Carbon Market Activation – Sustainable Energy for All 

Dr. Kevin Kariuki – Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, African Development Bank

Amal-Lee Amin – Managing Director and Head of Climate, Diversity and Advisory at BII

Mukupa Nsenduluka – Tax Justice Network Africa

Hubert Danso – CEO and Chairman, Africa investor (Ai) Group 

Iskander Erzini Vernoit – Co-chair of the Climate Action Coalition (CAN) climate finance group

Oral Evidence Session 3: Exploring UK Regulation to support Just Energy Transitions in Africa (Thu, Mar 7, 2024, 10:30 AM)

Testimony from Jackson Shaa, Maasai Community Activist, introduced by inquiry Chair Lord Jonny Oates

PANEL 1 Chaired by Chi Onwurah MP, APPG for Africa Chair

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL Union

Joseph Kibugu, Africa Regional Manager, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Mugwe Manga, Co-founder and Managing Director of Oluswa Energy, Kenya

Yaye Catherine Dieng, Head of the Energy Transition Unit, Ministry for Petroleum and Energy, Senegal

 

PANEL 2 Chaired by Theo Clarke MP, APPG for Africa Vice-Chair

Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Chair of the president’s Commission on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security in Sierra Leone

Peter Lunenborg, Trade for Development Programme Lead at the South Centre

Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, Executive Vice-President, African Centre for Economic Transformation

 

Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry:

Chair: Lord Jonny Oates (Co-Chair APPG for Africa)

· Vicky Ford MP CONS (Former Africa Minister)

· Lyn Brown MP LAB (Shadow Minister for Africa)

· Kate Osamor MP LAB (Chair of the APPG for Nigeria)

· Theo Clarke MP CONS (Member of the International Development Committee)

· Chi Onwurah MP LAB (Co-Chair of the APPG for Africa)

· Patrick Grady MP SNP

· Lord Popat CONS (Trade Envoy to Rwanda and Uganda)

· Baroness Northover LD (Former PUSS at DFID)

 

Special Advisory Group (SAG) Members:

· John Asafu Adjaye, ACET Africa, Ghana

· Prof Kay Khatun, Senior Fellow in Climate and Rural Institutions, NRI Greenwich

· Dr Nick Westcott, Former RAS Director

· James Mwangi, Founder Climate Action Platform Africa and CEO of Africa Climate Ventures

· Geoff Sinclair, Director, CAMCO

· Camilla Toulmin, senior fellow of IIED, Associate of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, and Professor of Practice at the Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University

· Nasreen Al-amin- Executive Director, Surge Africa

· Saliem Fakir- Founder, The Africa Climate Foundation

· Helen Brume- Director, Projects & Asset Based Finance, Afreximbank

· Abimbola Ogundairo, Africa No Filter

 

 

Evidence Gathering

The APPG and RAS have decided to make all oral evidence sessions of the inquiry open (running from November 2023- May 2024). To find out more and to register check out the RAS Events page here.

 

The written and oral evidence received by the inquiry will inform the inquiry report complete with policy recommendations which will be submitted to HM Government for response. We are aiming to launch the report in Spring 2024.

 

Call for evidence:

The inquiry committee are seeking to gather a diversity of knowledge and experience by way of written and oral submissions, on all/any of the below points:

1. ​How to address the challenge of energy poverty in Africa in line with the continent’s development needs, the principles of a just transition and continental and global climate targets for emissions reductions.
2. The benefits and threats to Africa from the global clean energy transition and the national and international factors enabling and constraining the supply of clean energy and improved energy access.
3. Changing patterns of energy demand and supply in Africa and the impact these have on the economy, society and the climate.
4. The contribution a) different types of renewable energy and b) the continued use and/or exploration of fossil fuels could make to addressing energy poverty and achieving just and developmental energy transition in Africa. What are the costs and benefits of each and how feasible are they politically, technically, and economically?
5. Case study examples and evidence of (a) just and (b) unjust energy transition initiatives in Africa and details of what made them so.
6. The role and limitations of Private & Public finance in supporting and delivering the clean energy transition. How can providers ensure that their finance and investments contribute to a just energy transition and mitigate any associated environmental or social harms that might arise?
7. How can African states governance, legal, policy and financial frameworks best support a just and developmentally friendly energy transition, and how can countries dependent on fossil fuels make the transition? What changes need to be made?
8. The changes needed to UK government policy in relation to domestic mitigation, climate finance, trade and investment, business regulation policies to better support just transitions. Please include any examples and case studies of good practice from other high-income countries or regional blocs.
9. The changes needed to the policies of multilateral institutions and development banks for them to best better support a just, clean, and developmental energy transition for Africa.

Please note that the open and public call for written submissions is now closed, however, if you would like to contribute to the inquiry, please email the APPG and inquiry secretariat who may be able to assist with a late submission- hb28@soas.ac.uk

 

Please ensure your written submission:

• Is no more than 3000 words, includes an executive summary and makes clear which points your submissions is addressing.
• Where appropriate, references other sources.
• Includes some background information about your experience of, or interest in, Just Energy Transitions.
• If you are willing to be contacted, includes your contact details should the inquiry committee like to follow up.

How we will use your data and submitted evidence:

• All written evidence submitted to the APPG inquiry will be made publically available by the Royal African Society in the digital archives of the inquiry report.
• Any quotes or extracts will be attributed to the authors of the written evidence and made clear in citations and footnotes. NB- Quotes from third parties may also be included and cited.
• Full names and the affiliated organisation of those that submit evidence will be listed in the acknowledgements of the report.
• Submitting evidence to this inquiry confirms you are happy to consent to this use of your data.

Please explicitly state in the submissions email accompanying your evidence if this is not the case. Otherwise contact us at baileyh@parliament.uk before 19th December 2023 if you would like certain parts of the submission omitted.

To keep up to date with the inquiry, please follow us on twitter @RoyAfriSoc @AfricaAPPG