Ainojie Irune, chief operating officer of Oando Energy Resources, has called for regional cooperation among African nations to accelerate the continent’s energy transition.
He made the call at the recently concluded Africa Oil Week, in Cape Town, South Africa, according to a statement on Tuesday.
“For African countries, the energy transition presents both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, the vast energy deficits in production, combined with abundant renewable energy resources underpin our transition ambitions,” he said.
Individually, most African countries lack the financial, technical and human capacity critical to fully implement a green energy transition, according to him.
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“We must dispassionately prioritise regional collaboration to harmonise the cost of deploying, operating and scaling renewable energy projects,” he said. “Together, we can drive progress and foster a brighter energy future for Africa.”
Speaking on solutions to accelerate Africa’s energy transition and net zero ambitions at the Energy Leaders Debate themed ‘How can the African continent attain sustainability and increase access to modern energy services for its people’, Irune said: “Africa is a renewable energy powerhouse. We have the resources, the capacity, and the population. We can no longer excuse ourselves from getting involved in the energy transition.”
He called for sector leaders to leverage these industry events as an opportunity to move Africa forward faster.
