International environmental movement 350Africa! said on Thursday that for Africa to realise a just transition to renewable energy, significant investment from financial institutions and developed nations is essential and urgent. 350Africa! senior Africa organiser Rukiya Khamis was speaking the launch of REPower Afrika, a movement aimed at uniting regional community renewable-energy projects to urge financiers and governments to prioritise and increase investments in affordable and clean energy. Khamis highlighted that African governments must create an enabling framework, enacting policies and regulations that facilitate the deployment of renewable energy and attract substantial investments. 350Africa! global campaigns director Agnes Appiah-Hall highlighted that the main barrier to renewable energy across Africa was finance. “For the sources of finance, we must turn to the rich countries and corporations that have exploited African countries for fossil fuels and have imposed huge amounts of historical debt to drive their own prosperity within rich nations, with no regard for the development or harmful impacts on communities within Africa itself,” she said.
