Renewable Energy for Africa – Commission’s commitment on concrete actions to unlock the green potential

Commissioner for International and Development Cooperation, Neven Mimica, issued today a joint statement on the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) together with Professor Alpha Condé, President of Guinea and African Union Coordinator for the AREI. With new ambitious targets set for 2020, the European Union reaffirms its leading role in supporting the African continent in the fight against climate change. Concrete actions and initiatives to meet the objectives are at the core of the EU-African commitment, both partners reaffirming their desire to hold regular dialogues at government level, notably in the margins of international events and in the framework of our joint Africa-EU strategic cooperation. During the signing ceremony, Commissioner Mimica said: “As the hottest year on record draws to a close, the European Union confirms its strong commitment in Africa for both reducing emissions and improving energy access for those in need. But we must ensure that these pledges materialise into new projects and tangible results.  Concretely, by 2020, the EU has promised to facilitate investments that will increase the renewable electricity generation capacity of at least 5 Gigawatt. This is already half of the 10 Gigawatt goal of the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative for 2020.” You can find the joint statement here, and more general information on the links between development cooperation and climate action in this factsheet.