Recent research revealed that US attempts to push worldwide climate action overlap and clash with the aspirations of African countries.
The global superpower’s consequences for Africa’s energy future, including Morocco, were highlighted in a recent research paper published by Carnegie endowment for international peace.
African visions for the energy transition vary significantly across the continent, but certainly include more than decarbonisation.
According to the paper titled “Ensuring a Just and Equitable Energy Transition in Africa,” the Kigali Communique was signed in May 2022 by high-level representatives from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe and laid out seven principles for a transition.
US policies fit with Africa’s energy transition ambitions in three areas: expanding electricity access, decarbonizing energy systems, and diversifying clean energy supply chains.
On the first point, the United States Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa commits to assisting African countries in achieving their energy access objectives, aligning with the continent’s prioritization of the issue.
Over the last decade, the United States has made increasing access to electricity (and energy) a prominent component of its foreign policy and development assistance portfolio in Africa.
On the second point, the Biden administration has continued long-standing efforts to support clean energy in Africa, including by emphasizing the issue in its U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa and through assistance from agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), the State Department, and others.
It has also strengthened the responsibilities of specialized agencies in this area and joined large international efforts to help long-term decarbonization in specific nations, including several in Africa.
These activities are in line with African ambitions to link decarbonization and economic growth, and aim to support development pathways that meet both climate targets and broader economic and social goals.
On the third and last point, the International Energy Agency forecasts that reaching net zero global energy emissions by 2050 will necessitate quadrupling yearly solar PV capacity additions by 2030, necessitating a significant scale-up in the manufacturing chain and polysilicon production.
However, there are times when US policy clashes with African aspirations for energy transition, making collaboration on climate and energy topics more difficult. It can also have an impact on the tone of broader diplomatic engagement.
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