South Africa’s initiative was released during the third meeting of the G20 Energy Transitions Working Group held in North West province.

At the meeting, Abdallah said that for the African Union, energy efficiency is “at the core” of its development agenda, backed by the African Energy Efficiency Strategy, which seeks to increase energy productivity over the next 25 years.

He stressed that achieving this goal and contributing to the global doubling in efficiency by 2030 requires access to sustainable financing, strong institutional coordination and adequate human capacities.

The executive director welcomed that the South African proposal complements the work of the African Union and reinforces the role of energy efficiency in addressing energy security and equity challenges.

He recalled that more than 600 million Africans lack regular access to electricity, and that this situation affects more than 70 percent of the continent’s population, who live in energy poverty.

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