Overline: Energy Transition in Africa

Headline: Partnerships and Networks to Strengthen North-South and South-South Interventions

DAAD TU Berlin Alumni Seminar
Online Seminar: October 25-29, 2021
Photo & Video Exhibition in Berlin: November 1-5, 2021

"Cooperation needs to be fair, transparent, accountable, and with excellent coordination in order to succeed." This was the bold message shared by the speakers in the opening session of the DAAD TU Berlin Alumni Online Seminar, Energy Transition on Africa, an event organized by TU Berlin in cooperation with the African Center of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development (ACE-ESD) and hosted by the TU Berlin Alumni Program, together with HEDERA Sustainable Solutions and with the support of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies e.V.  

Under Sustainable Development Goal 7, Energy Access for All, the major challenge is to provide sustainable and affordable energy in sub-Saharan Africa. Some 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity, and 890 million use traditional fuels for cooking. The region's energy resources are sufficient to meet the demand, but they are unevenly distributed and underdeveloped. Currently, only 4% of the population's energy needs are being met, making the provision of affordable energy critical to the development of the region.

For decades, almost all infrastructure investments in Africa were made at the national level. There were some large, cross-border, and quite costly projects, such as the construction of hydropower plants, but policy coordination proved difficult in most cases. Cross-border cooperation is necessary to improve infrastructure, especially in the areas of transport, water, and energy. In this context, the event DAAD TU Berlin Alumni Seminar Energy Transition in Africa aims to explore lessons, challenges, and perspectives regarding transdisciplinary and transnational cooperation in the energy sector in Africa.

As an event sponsored by the DAAD and organized by TU Berlin Alumni in cooperation with the African Center of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development of the University of Rwanda, the target group for the seminar is alumni of TU Berlin and other German universities from or based in Africa who are actively involved in the energy sector, whether it be in government, academia, or industry. At the opening session, Juliane Wilhelm and Bettina Klotz shared the work of the TUB Alumni program, the excellent support of DAAD Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst to make these spaces possible, and the Technische Universität Berlin shared a warm message from the President for the event. Dr. Charles Kabiri, director of the ACE-ESD of UoR, presented ACE-ESD’s work, areas of focus, achievements, and goals, and Prof. Tatiana Morozyuk of the TUB Institute of Energy Engineering presented the institute’s experience with Africa through the Campus El Gouna. Finally, Prof. Andreas Goldthau, director of ISIGET Research Group from IASS, gave a thoughtful introduction on the issues we have to tackle regarding the energy transition.

The event was launched with interventions from Mr. Gen Cesar, Chief Technical Advisor of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Rwanda, and Mrs. Tendai Makanza and Mr. Léonard Lévêque, project officers of IndustriALL Union and the Long-Term Joint European Union - African Union Research and Innovation Partnership on Renewable Energy. They presented the stakeholders and initiatives taken by the Government of Rwanda, IndustriALL Union’s activism and commitment towards a just energy transition, and the ambitious goals of the LEAP-RE project being implemented by multiple parties across the European Union and African Union.

With this start and a packed program, we are keen to dive into the multiple topics the online seminar covers, connecting and establishing relations with participants all across Africa. We are positioning ourselves in this green race, enabling spaces to strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations towards one goal, ensuring a just energy transition. Join us in the upcoming days and at the follow-up exhibition, Awakening the Senses.

More information:

Online Seminar October 25-29, 2021: https://hedera.online/daad-tu-alumni-seminar/index.html

Photo & Video Exhibition in Berlin November 1-5, 2021: https://www.iass-potsdam.de/en/events/energy-transition-africa-awakenin…