GERMAN Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaking at a German-African investment summit in Berlin on Monday, emphasised the critical need for enhanced cooperation between the EU and African countries in advancing renewables and green hydrogen production.
In his address, Scholz underscored the imperative for European nations to assist Africa’s developing countries in adopting climate-friendly energy solutions. He warned against repeating the historical reliance on oil, coal, and gas, stressing the planet’s inability to sustain such a trajectory.
‘Choosing the same path Europe or North America took 150 years ago with oil, coal, and gas is unsustainable for our planet,’ Scholz asserted, highlighting the urgency of collaboration in curbing detrimental environmental impacts.
The Chancellor proposed that closer EU-Africa cooperation could foster social and economic development while safeguarding the environment and climate. ‘Renewable energy, climate-friendly technologies, building a hydrogen economy across continents, and economic diversification hold immense potential for our cooperation,’ he stated, emphasising mutual benefits.
Scholz reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to Africa within its energy transition policy and climate protection objectives, aiming for climate neutrality by 2045. Noting Africa’s superior potential in renewable energies and competitive hydrogen production, he envisioned expanded partnerships between German and African companies.
Moreover, Scholz announced Germany’s pledge of an additional €4bn ($4.4bn) in funding until 2030 to support investments under the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative.
The summit saw the presence of key African leaders, including Senegal’s President Macky Sall, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu, Morocco’s Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, and President Alassane Ouattara of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire.
Later in the day, high-ranking representatives from over a dozen African nations convened with Scholz and European officials at the ‘G-20 Compact with Africa’ conference. This initiative, launched in 2017 under the German presidency of the Group of 20, aims to stimulate foreign private investments in African nations. Current members include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo, and Tunisia.