Senior representatives from the United Nations, the African Development Bank, the UK Foreign Office and environment ministries across Africa will meet for a policy conference co-organised by Warwick Business School. The conference will bring together policymakers to discuss how to accelerate Africa’s renewable energy transition while ensuring that the continent benefits economically and equitably. The virtual conference will take place on Wednesday 21 October, from 09:00 to 12:00 GMT.
Giuliana Battisti, Professor of the Economics of Innovation and Deputy Director of the Circular Economy Powered Renewable Energy Centre (CEPREC), is co-organising the Pan-African Policy Virtual Conference, Turning the Lights On: Unlocking Circular Value Chains for Africa’s Renewable Energy Transition.
Convened with the African Circular Economy Alliance, the conference will include senior representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Development Bank Group, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the World Resources Institute and the Development Bank of Southern Africa. Government representatives from countries including Rwanda, South Africa and Namibia will also participate.
Around 600 million people in Africa, slightly less than half the continent’s population, currently lack access to electricity. Expanding access is important for improving living conditions and life expectancy, as well as supporting economic development, industrialisation and job creation.
Renewable energy can help address this need, but its deployment also raises questions about the sourcing, reuse and end-of-life management of materials and technologies, including solar panels and batteries.
The conference will examine how circular economy principles can help African countries capture more value from renewable energy supply chains through the reuse of technologies and components, waste reduction and the development of local industries.
Riad Meddeb, Head of Decarbonisation and Sustainable Energy at the UNDP, will deliver a keynote address entitled ‘Powering Africa’s Energy Future: Energy Access, Sustainable Infrastructure and the Role of Circular Value Chains’.
