Africa is a rich continent with huge potential in renewable energy. UN Special Advisor for Africa, Bitsat Yohannes-Kassahun, says that a focus on energy is essential to unlock the continent's future during pandemic recovery.

The recommendation is to expand Africans' access to "reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy," argues the United Nations Africa Adviser, quoted in a UN News agency publication.

The effects would benefit economic transformation, "ensuring food security, digitizing education, revolutionizing healthcare systems, building manufacturing and industrialization capabilities, or sustaining peace through the creation of quality jobs and service delivery," the expert adds.

The expert recalls that "no country in the world has achieved these ambitions without having abundant and affordable access to energy."

In the field of climate change, Yohannes-Kassahun believes that Africans "are getting the better of the global race to combat climate change as far as energy is concerned."

She argues that Africa's industrial revolution and the achievement of the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area depend on access to reliable, affordable, and adequate energy.

Access to the resource would empower the region to provide services, adapt to climate risks, and spread sustainable livelihoods, ensuring the continent's peace, security, and development for the next generation.

Source: UN News