Jennifer Morgan, German State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action says 60 per cent of the best spots for solar panels are in Africa.
According to Morgan, currently, only one per cent of the world’s installed solar capacity is on the African continent, which is a challenge that needs to be addressed urgently.
Morgan delivered a public lecture with the theme, “The Climate Crisis & the Global Energy Transition: Challenges & Opportunities,” on Tuesday, in Lagos.
The lecture was organised by the University of Lagos in collaboration with the German Consulate in Lagos.
Morgan is on an official trip to Nigeria, after which she will visit Ethiopia and Kenya to discuss topics including climate change, renewables and a just energy transition.
Morgan said the 2023 Africa climate summit was a powerful demonstration of the political will of leaders in Africa to realise the continent’s potential.
Quoting Kenya’s President, William Ruto, Morgan said Africa is a powerhouse of untapped potential, eager to engage and fairly compete in the global markets.
“For Africa, renewable energy is an asset that enables it to play a truly global role. In order to do that, we all have to work together and the industrialised countries have a responsibility to provide support and collaboration.”
Morgan said a double approach needed to be taken to tackle the climate crisis, stressing the need to invest in adaptation, and in resilience build infrastructure that’s resilient to climate impacts, including the energy sector.
According to her, the climate crisis has risks, costs, and causes damage to the economy while also destroying livelihoods.
“The longer we wait to change things, the worse it’s going to get. So the sooner we act, the better because we know that rising global temperatures are leading to more extreme weather events.
“This climate crisis is deeply unjust and it impacts the citizens of the poorest countries the most,” she said.
She further said the green transition could be the chance for a better life for more social justice and equitable development, adding that in years to come, transformative change would be just imperative for sustainable growth.
She noted that Germany was in the middle of its energy transition and must diversify its economy away from fossil fuels, greenhouse gas intensive production, consumption and export to keep a stable and prosperous economy.
Morgan said that in 2023, 56% of Germany’s electricity came from renewable energy sources.
“So, we have a fully reliable electricity supply for everyday life and for business. And we’re phasing out coal which is our major fossil fuel, ideally by 2030.
“That is in a country where our solar radiation is the same as Alaska. Imagine what we could do with your solar radiation here in Nigeria.”
According to Morgan, Nigeria has an ambitious energy transition plan and is well positioned to both meet national energy access goals and also remain a central player internationally, over the years through renewable energies, hydrogen and particularly from renewable sources.
On her part, there are obstacles for any transition to occur but the results are worth it.
“It’s worth it because the potential here in Africa for a massive further expansion of renewable energy is just huge.
“Every country needs to find its own way of transformation and I think we have to cooperate internationally through climate finance. That is key,” Morgan said.