The European Union-African Union Summit: A new impetus for sustainable development
Practical information
With the European Union (EU) - African Union (AU) summit due to take place on February 17-18, 2022, sub-Saharan Africa's sustainable development challenge has never been so pressing. Despite past progress in electrification, the number of people without access to electricity rose again in 2020 due to Covid-19, making it even more difficult to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7).
The rise of new technologies and practices are disrupting models and can accelerate the deployment of electrification and thus promote sustainable economic development in the region. The fall in solar technology costs and the emergence of mobile money, improved cooking systems, as well as the rapid progress in artificial intelligence for the development of new services, are game changers. The prevalence of young people quickly appropriating new technologies in the age pyramid is an additional strength. In this context, private finance and development institutions are called upon to play a key role.
This webinar will address the sustainable development of electricity sectors in the region through the technological and financial nexus, and discuss how the EU-AU partnership could foster progress in this key area.
Speakers:
- Serge Ekué, President, West African Development Bank (BOAD)
- Bertrand Badré, Managing Partner and Founder, Blue like an Orange Sustainable Capital
- Cédric Philibert, Associate Research Fellow, Ifri Center for Energy & Climate
- Hugo Le Picard, Research Fellow, Ifri Center for Energy & Climate
Chair: Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega, Director, Ifri Center for Energy & Climate
This webinar will be conducted in French with simultaneous translation into English.
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