Women in Energy: In conversation with Dr. Towela Nyirenda-Jere on advancing Africa’s energy transition

In this interview, AUDA-NEPAD’s Head of Infrastructure, Digitization, and Energy Dr. Towela Nyirenda-Jere provides a comprehensive look into the agency’s efforts in supporting the continent’s energy transition.

After Asia, Africa is the second-largest and second-most-populous continent on the globe. Certainly, greening its energy mix is a challenging task. In Africa, the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) plays a pivotal role in implementing transformational projects, including energy. 

In this interview, AUDA-NEPAD’s Head of Infrastructure, Digitization, and Energy Dr. Towela Nyirenda-Jere provides a comprehensive look into the agency’s efforts in supporting the continent’s energy transition. Dr. Nyirenda-Jere — an electrical engineer and seasoned development practitioner with over 20 years of experience — also addresses the challenges in implementing these large-scale, cross-border projects and discusses strategies for effectively mobilizing resources to ensure equitable benefits. 

 

Interviewer: Can you give an insight into AUDA-NEPAD’s role in integrating energy systems across Africa to support the energy transition?

Dr. Towela: AUDA-NEPAD, as the development agency of the AU, plays a crucial role in driving the implementation of priority regional and continental projects in Africa’s various sectors, including energy. In addition to the Program for Infrastructure Development for Africa (PIDA), AUDA-NEPAD was tasked by the AU to spearhead the development of the African Continental Power Systems Master Plan (CMP), which is the bedrock of the Africa Single Electricity Market (AfSEM). 

The CMP was developed, taking into account the AU Agenda 2063, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Africa’s Climate Change Paris commitments, and Africa‘s position on just energy transition. The CMP objectives are:

1. Interconnecting national power grids into synchronized regional power pools and eventually a single continental electricity market (AfSEM)
2. Facilitating the large-scale deployment of renewable energy resources across Africa
3. Improving energy access and security across the continent
4. Promoting economic integration and optimizing the use of Africa’s energy resources

The CMP, developed through a bottom-up, participatory, and collaborative approach with the five African power pools and regional and key continental institutions, identified the generation and transmission infrastructure required to integrate electricity networks in Africa. In addition, the CMP provided insights into Africa’s future electricity production mix, projecting a mix dominated by hydro, wind, solar PV, and natural gas complemented by storage technologies. 

While the role of fossil fuels is expected to diminish, the pace will be guided by Africa’s position on just energy transition. Overall, renewable energy is projected to contribute about 65% (760 GW) of the 1200 GW continental capacity by 2040. 

The AfSEM and CMP were adopted by the Africa Heads of State Summit as flagship projects of the AU Agenda 2063, giving impetus for accelerated implementation of the projects. The next phase of the CMP entails the preparation of the CMP priority projects for bankability. The focus of this phase is on mobilizing institutional capital for the priority CMP projects, developing cross-border interconnectors to integrate countries and regions, and promoting renewable energy generation projects 

 

Interviewer: What are the primary challenges you face in implementing large-scale energy and infrastructure projects under AUDA-NEPAD, and how do these impact the broader goal of achieving “The Africa We Want” as outlined in Agenda 2063?

Dr. Towela: By their nature, the cross-border infrastructure projects that AUDA-NEPAD supports member states to implement are complex in several dimensions — from scale and the multiplicity of countries and implementing agencies to technical and financial requirements.  

One immediate challenge is the level of coordination required among countries and project owners. Obtaining consensus on financing and implementation arrangements is time- and resource-intensive, causing projects to delay due to protracted consultation and negotiation processes.

A second challenge is the lack of technical and financial capacity for early-stage project preparation. A significant percentage of projects are at an early stage, requiring dedicated resources for preparation; yet, the financing landscape is such that financing for early-stage project preparation of large-scale cross-border infrastructure projects is inadequate relative to the needs.  

A third challenge that we encounter is the limited participation of the private sector. While governments still provide most capital for infrastructure, it is insufficient, and most are generally unable to scale up due to weak fiscal regimes. For the energy sector specifically, some progress has been made in attracting private sector investment in generation projects. However, private investments in transmission are largely non-existent. 

These and other challenges hamper the pace of infrastructure development and hinder progress in closing the infrastructure gap and attaining “The Africa We Want.”

Interviewer: What strategies does AUDA-NEPAD employ to mobilize resources effectively for energy infrastructure projects? How do these strategies ensure that the benefits of such projects are shared equitably across different societal groups?

Dr. Towela: A core mandate of AUDA-NEPAD is to mobilize resources for sustainable implementation of the AU’s priority regional and continental projects. In fulfilling this mandate, the agency mobilizes resources from domestic and international sources, including the private sector. 

For infrastructure and energy projects in particular, AUDA-NEPAD focuses on mobilizing resources aimed at catalyzing or unlocking infrastructure financing. Recognizing that well-prepared projects attract investment, one key aspect of our resource mobilization is supporting member states and project owners with early-stage project preparation and access to project preparation facilities. This is done through the Service Delivery Mechanism (SDM). Additionally, we have developed the PIDA Quality Label as a mark of project preparation excellence awarded to projects that meet the requisite standard. 

Through the Continental Business Network and targeted events ‚ such as PIDA Week, the Dakar Financing Summit, the Africa Investment Forum, and the Energy Indaba, to name a few — we promote projects to investors and financiers and work toward getting early buy-in for projects. We have also devised initiatives such as the 5% Agenda to increase investments from institutional investors and the Africa Infrastructure Guarantee Mechanism (AIGM) to encourage private sector investments. 

Lastly, we mobilize resources from our various development partners to support capacity building and capacity-strengthening of member states and institutional stakeholders to ensure that projects are well-planned and have a sustainable base for implementation. Leveraging AUDA-NEPAD’s convening power, we aim for synergy and efficiency by coordinating our various partners and stakeholders so that resources can be used more effectively and results obtained more impactful.

Interviewer: Considering your background in energy, digitalization, and cybersecurity, how does AUDA-NEPAD plan to leverage digital technologies to enhance energy access and security across the continent?

Dr. Towela: The PIDA Integrated Corridor Approach — the basis on which cross-border infrastructure projects in the 2nd PIDA Priority Action Plan (PIDA PAP II) were selected and will be implemented — promotes efficiency in the development of infrastructure in the four sectors (energy, ICT, water, and transport) by capitalizing on opportunities for synergies across them. 

Digitalization is an essential part of achieving this synergy, requiring the buildout of adequate ICT infrastructure and services across the continent. While supporting the rollout of cross-border ICT infrastructure, AUDA-NEPAD also focuses on:

1. Using digital tools to plan and model energy infrastructure, which was a central component in the development of the CMP. We worked with the regional power pools to agree on a standard set of tools. And with the help of our partners, we provided access and licenses to these tools, conducted training in the use of the tools and applied the tools to develop the Masterplan. This is an approach that will continue as we implement, refine and update the Plan. 
2. Promoting awareness and encouraging member states to designate energy infrastructure as critical infrastructure and, hence, deploying relevant measures to protect the infrastructure. In addition to physical protection, the need to put in place measures for cybersecurity and cyber resilience to protect power systems and networks is key as cyber-enabled disruptions can have serious economic consequences for countries. In that regard, I am leading projects that support the implementation of the AU Convention on Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Data Protection, as well as capacity building through the Africa Agenda on Cyber Capacity Building.
3. Leveraging digital tools to develop and manage the pipeline of projects, which will be elaborated as we start implementing the CMP. In addition to digitizing our early-stage project preparation advisory service, the SDM, we will also look at how best to manage the portfolio of energy infrastructure projects, leveraging our existing platforms and digital assets such as the Africa Infrastructure Database and the PIDA Job Creation Toolkit. The Job Creation toolkit is particularly important as it enables us to present the potential impact of projects to create jobs and catalyze the development of local SMEs and industries throughout the lifecycle of a project, including after the project is operational.

In addition to data generated through planning, modeling, and project identification, the AfSEM will be associated with significant (cross-border) data flows when it becomes operational. We are thus supporting member states in enhancing their data governance in line with the AU Data Policy Framework so that there will be adequate protections for the generation, usage, management, and transmission of data both within and across countries.

 
Interviewer: Looking ahead, what are the key infrastructure and energy projects AUDA-NEPAD is prioritizing, and how do these projects contribute to the sustainable development goals and the energy transition in Africa?

Dr. Towela: AUDA-NEPAD has been spearheading several critical infrastructure and energy projects across the continent. These are crucial for driving sustainable development and the transition to cleaner energy systems in Africa. The PIDA PAP 2 portfolio contains the 69 projects that have been selected by AU member states for implementation from 2021 to 2030 and are contained in a project prospectus that we published in 2023 alongside the PIDA First 10-Year Implementation Report. 

In the short term, the PIDA PAP 2 projects that we featured during the 2nd Dakar Financing Summit and which we are currently working on include:

1. Construction of Amilcar Cabral submarine cable system
2. Transborder Submarine Fiber PoPs and Regional Smart Hub Facility and Data Center (East Africa)
3. Juba - Nairobi Fiber Optic Link
4. Développement des Infrastructures des Data Center sous-tendant l'économie numérique (Central Africa)
5. LAPSSET Crude Oil Pipeline: Lamu to South Sudan
6. Luapula Hydropower project
7. Construction of 287 MW Ruzizi IV Hydropower project
8. Construction du Barrage et Amenagement de la Centrale Hydroelectrique de Palambo
9. Masaka - Mwanza Transmission Line Project
10. Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Development Project
11. Praia-Dakar Shipping and Maritime Services Project 
12. Beira Port Development
13. LAPSSET Railway
14. Establishment of a Navigational Line between Lake Victoria and the Mediterranean Sea-Feasibility Study Phase 2 (VICMED)
15. Lesotho Botswana Water Transfer
16. Angololo Multipurpose Water Resources Development Project (Angololo Dam) NELSAP

These projects aim to contribute to Africa’s ambitions for regional integration and the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs. Connectivity — whether through transport, ICT, water, or energy — is essential for facilitating the seamless movement of people, goods, and services on the continent. 

With specific reference to the energy sector, the CMP will result in an integrated, continent-wide electricity grid to enable the realization of the AfSEM. The CMP projects are currently being elaborated on, and a project prospectus will be made available later this year. Key components of the Continental Power Systems Master Plan contributing to sustainable development goals and the energy transition in Africa include:

1. Expanding and strengthening the existing regional power pools (e.g., SAPP, WAPP, EAPP, CAPP) through new cross-border transmission lines and grid interconnections
2. Mobilizing financing and investments for priority power generation, transmission, and distribution projects
3. Enhancing the integration of renewable energy sources, such as hydropower, solar, wind, and geothermal, into the continental grid

These infrastructure and energy projects led by AUDA-NEPAD are designed to support the achievement of several SDGs, including SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) (UN, 2022). By enhancing energy access, promoting renewable energy, and developing sustainable transport and connectivity networks, these projects are driving Africa’s transition toward a low-carbon, resilient, and prosperous future.

Dr. Towela Nyirenda-Jere is one of the speakers at the upcoming Africa Energy Leadership Summit, which is themed “Investments, integration, infrastructure, and governance to fuel the energy transition.” The summit will be held as part of the first-ever Africa Energy Expo, taking place in Kigali, Rwanda, from November 4 to 6, 2024. 

Africa Energy Expo, endorsed by the Rwanda Ministry of Infrastructure and supported by the Rwanda Convention Bureau, will gather key African decision-makers to tackle the continent’s energy and power infrastructure gap. The event supports COP27 Africa climate pledges and the Africa Power Vision. 

 

Join us at the Africa Energy Expo from 4 - 6 November in Kigali Centre Rwanda and experience the Africa energy landscape at its finest. The event will serve as a scene-setter to the Africa Power Vision by bringing key energy stakeholders together to increase the level of international support and facilitate access to modern, affordable and sustainable energy solutions in Africa.