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Paper short abstract:

This paper explores strategies for a just energy transition in Africa, focusing on workforce retraining, green job creation, and policy coordination. It examines how sustainable decarbonization can address socio-economic inequalities while fostering industrialization and energy access.

Paper long abstract:

Africa's energy transition offers a critical opportunity to promote sustainable development and resolve the global climate crisis. Nevertheless, this transition presents substantial socio-economic obstacles, particularly for communities that rely on fossil fuels. This paper examines how Africa can navigate the intricacies of a just energy transition, with a particular emphasis on creating green jobs, workforce retraining, and policy coordination to alleviate economic disruptions and inequalities. The research emphasizes sustainable decarbonization strategies, such as integrating solar photovoltaic panel refurbishment into local industries, promoting bioenergy technologies such as biogas systems for rural electrification, and recycling electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries. These strategies capitalize on Africa's abundant renewable energy resources to encourage industrialization, improve energy access for marginalized populations, and create employment opportunities in emerging sectors. The paper also discusses the risks associated with uncoordinated energy policies, underscoring the necessity of inclusive policymaking consistent with international climate commitments, such as the Paris Agreement, while protecting development priorities. Using case studies, it investigates the potential of inventive financing mechanisms, technology transfer, and localized solutions to facilitate sustainable and equitable energy transitions. This paper contributes to the existing discourse on effective strategies for harmonizing economic growth with environmental sustainability by offering a framework that integrates environmental, economic, and social dimensions. It encourages the collaboration of policymakers, industry leaders, and community stakeholders to convert potential crises into catalysts for the sustainable development of Africa.

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Developing countries often need to make strides in localizing renewable energy technologies and institutions before achieving balanced energy transitions. Using a techno-social systems framework, this paper sheds light on previously overlooked angles in the sustainable development literature.

Paper long abstract:

This paper uses the conceptual framework of techno-social systems (Sheikheldin & Hambly 2024) to consolidate findings in extant literature on challenges and opportunities for renewable energy (RE) mini-grids in Africa with recent findings from a study on non-state actors in RE in Africa, with field observations from Tanzania. While RE sources can contribute significantly to the goal of balancing demands for sustainable and inclusive development with requirements for climate change mitigation, Low-and-middle-income countries need to make strides in processes of technological and institutional localization for RE sub-sectors before they can fulfill that role. Using a techno-social systems perspective, which prioritizes elements where social and technological dynamics interact, sheds light on those challenges from angles that are different from ones often highlighted in extant literature. Through comparing our study findings with the literature on RE mini-grids in Tanzania, we came to identify two main shared sources of delayed adoption and localization of RE: 1) symptoms of separating RE from sustainable development and industrialization narratives, rendering RE solutions being considered only second options (to communities and policymakers); and 2) resistance to change as a systemic symptom in cases of technological development. Both symptoms can be addressed using approaches and remedies learned from best practices and cases articulated in the literature on diffusion strategies (e.g., Rogers 2003) and localization activities (e.g., Sheikheldin & Devlin 2019). The main objective of the paper is to improve our understanding of techno-social barriers to expanding electrification projects and achieving just energy transition.

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Re-imagining gender equality of energy transition in Zimbabwe

Paper long abstract:

While gender equality has become the rallying cry in energy transition, it remains a contested concept. At the heart of this contestation is the question: equality of what? -available energy resources or the opportunity to use the resources. Through a qualitative study of Zingondi Resettlement, I draw on feminist political ecology to analyse the intersectionalities of the energy transition. I extend the argument through the Capabilities Approach to illustrate the differing needs of differently situated individuals. This suggests that technological shift does not automatically guarantee gender equality, especially for those who cannot use energy technologies for purposes that they value. The study concludes that capability equality is the forerunner of gender equality. Without this approach, the so-called gender equality will continue to mask inequalities inherent in energy transition.

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This study examines the gendered impact of mini-grid electrification in Northern Uganda, highlighting both risks and opportunities. Using a mixed-method approach, findings reveal gendered access, emphasising the need for inclusive energy policies to ensure equitable benefit sharing.

Paper long abstract:

This study examines the interplay between energy access and gender equality in Northern Uganda's mini-grid electrification. Anchored in the Sustainable Development Goals—Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Gender Equality (SDG 5), and No Poverty (SDG 1)—this research explores the intricate effects of electrification on gender roles and socio-economic relationships.

Adopting a mixed-method approach, this research combines qualitative and quantitative data from 84 households, alongside 32 semi-structured interviews and 8 focus group discussions. The sample is strategically divided between households that have recently been electrified and those that have not, due to geographical factors influencing electrification eligibility. The distinctiveness of this research lies in its comprehensive approach, including analyses from women’s and men’s perspectives within households. This pluriversal methodology allows for an in-depth exploration of how electricity access reshapes gender roles, socio-economic activity, and technology use. With secured additional funding, we plan to return to the communities for reciprocal knowledge exchange.

Preliminary findings unveil gender-specific usage patterns in varying electricity access models, with mini-grid systems tending towards male dominance and battery-powered systems being more female-inclusive. This dichotomy not only reflects the differentiated impacts of electrification on household dynamics and economic activities but also underscores the nuanced consequences for women post-electrification.

At the core of this study is the examination of how energy access can simultaneously challenge and reinforce existing gender norms. This analysis contributes to the formulation of gender-aware energy policies and projects, advocating for an equity-focused approach to electrification and promoting a broader, context-sensitive interpretation of gender.

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The paper uses the example of the cleaner transport policy of the Borno State Government in Nigeria to advance theoretical and practical understanding of how multilevel actions could be optimised to drive desirable just and fair energy transition outcomes in fragile-conflictual contexts.

Paper long abstract:

The quest to promote transitions from fossil fuel to cleaner energy in response to the climate crisis places responsibility on the government as the key actor in driving action. In African contexts, this is often clear at national levels where governments have more power, clearer authority, and direct control over resources. Subnational governments operate in more complex spaces tied to multilevel dynamics, often needing to balance national policy, subnational preferences, and their contextual realities. Doing this involves opportunities and risks of local governance, requiring innovations that address gaps and promote inclusion. Thus, how can subnational governments promote a just and fair transition when faced with these multilevel dynamics? In seeking answers, I focus on Borno State in North-East Nigeria, where the government has deployed electric-hybrid vehicles and compressed natural gas-powered vehicles for public transport as a dual-edged response to the cost-of-living crisis that followed the national government’s cancellation of fuel subsidies. I attempt to unravel how this cleaner transport initiative fits with the global narrative of addressing the climate crisis, how effectively the policy provides for wider multi-stakeholder consultation, and the extent to which these might represent an African model of a just and fair transition. I draw evidence from interviews with key state and non-state stakeholders in Borno, supplemented with key government reports, media articles, and other grey literature. While highlighting the opportunities and challenges inherent in just transition in fragile contexts, I advance theoretical and practical understanding of how multilevel actions could be optimised to drive desirable outcomes.

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Paper short abstract:

Nigeria faces a polycrisis of energy poverty, economic growth, and climate crisis mitigation. Over 41% lack electricity, and only 16% use clean cooking fuels. Current just transition efforts are misaligned with local realities. Inclusive strategies are vital to addressing Just Transition in Nigeria.

Paper long abstract:

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with over 200 million people, grapples with a “polycrisis” of energy poverty, economic development, and climate crisis mitigation. Over 41% of Nigerians lack electricity, while only about 16% have access to clean fuel for cooking, leading to severe health and environmental challenges. As economic ambitions and population growth drive energy demands, Nigeria faces mounting pressure to transition to a low-carbon economy, aligning with global climate targets while addressing the worsening impacts of climate change, including desertification and flooding. This research critically examines how Nigeria navigates the conflicting challenges of energy poverty, development, and climate crisis mitigation through a desk review of policies and initiatives. Findings reveal that the country’s Just Transition efforts have largely failed to address these interconnected issues adequately. Renewable energy programs and climate action plans remain fragmented, underfunded, and heavily influenced by global narratives, often neglecting Nigeria’s unique socio-economic realities, such as high poverty rates, reliance on fossil fuel revenues, and regional disparities in energy access. Energy transition projects are often misaligned with local needs, prioritizing urban areas over rural communities and focusing on scaling technologies without addressing affordability, community engagement, or institutional capacity. The study concludes that a just transition in Nigeria requires a shift toward localized, inclusive strategies that address energy poverty, drive economic growth, and sustainably mitigate climate risks. Without this shift, Nigeria risks perpetuating inequality and worsening socio-economic vulnerabilities.

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This paper deploys minimalist and transformative transition concepts to assess the labour movement's role in just energy transition processes in South Africa. It argues that labour does not have a central role to bring about a just energy transition due to its neoliberal and minimalist approach.

Paper long abstract:

South Africa has a plethora of climate policies and programmes for promoting a just energy transition to a low carbon future. While these have been lauded (uncritically) as pioneering in the African context, this paper deploys three analytical models of just transition, namely passive, minimalist and transformative transition to assess the extent to which the labour movement is central in transition processes of the coal value chain. This focus on the coal-value-chain is instructive because coal remains South Africa’s primary source of energy. I argue that, due to historical reasons, the labour movement has been consumed by neoliberal framing of the just transition resulting in its adoption of a minimalist stance in the struggle for just energy transition. This explains its obsession with a reformist agenda that prioritizes retraining workers for green jobs and social protection of vulnerable workers instead of transformative change. A transformative transition has potential for profound changes in the energy production regime with possibilities for overhauling prevailing realities towards renewable and sustainable energy generation. Failing to adopt a transformative agenda means South Africa’s labour movement does not have a defining role in efforts to bring about a just energy transition since it has collaborated with the neoliberal government and business on a minimalist approach to just transition. Labour has thus abdicated its historical duty of standing firm in the struggle for climate justice and just energy transition in an age when neoliberal minimalist thinking pretends to be a driver of the just energy transition.

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This paper presents the opportunities and challenges for a just energy transition introduced by Sub-Saharan Africa's new political and trade relationship with the GCC. It presents several areas where a cooperative relationship between Qatar and Sub-Saharan Africa could yield positive outcomes.

Paper long abstract:

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, particularly the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, are increasingly investing in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on infrastructure, energy, and critical minerals. These investments include large-scale infrastructure projects in transportation, including ports and railways, and renewable energy, especially solar and wind power. GCC countries, particularly the UAE, are keen on securing access to critical minerals like cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements, essential for current global technological developments and growing green energy industries. These investments are part of broader economic diversification efforts by GCC countries, but have also strengthened political and trade ties with African countries. These new relationships offer several opportunities for both sides. First, Sub-Saharan African countries can leverage new sources of finance for mitigation and adaptation efforts. Second, new port infrastructure, such as Ghana's LNG terminal, offers new markets for energy exports from the GCC. Finally, the heavy reliance on coal in the Southern African region is an opportunity for new infrastructure development geared towards cleaner transition fuels. On the other hand, political instability instigated by GCC actors driven by economic incentives may result in unbalanced relationships and further entrench extractive practices. And given the prospect of funding, and the increasing debt burden on Sub-Saharan African countries, it may prove difficult to balance economic interests with environmental and social impacts. This paper presents a case where a cooperative relationship between Qatar and Sub-Saharan African countries could yield positive outcomes for both parties.