ETA Explains breaks down complex energy, climate, and extractive industries issues into clear, accessible insights. From just transition concepts and carbon markets to critical minerals and energy finance, this section demystifies technical debates shaping Africa’s energy future. Built for clarity and context, ETA Explains helps policymakers, journalists, advocates, and citizens understand the issues — without losing nuance or depth.
45 articles found
Africa’s critical minerals are once again in the global spotlight, but not only for what is being mined, but also for what is not being made. As the clean-energy transition accelerates, African...
For all the talk of solar revolutions and just transitions, one truth still defines Africa’s energy story: the continent’s access to power depends on its access to affordable capital. The latest...
Almost everywhere you look across Africa, the sun is being harnessed, but not owned. From the shimmering rooftops of Nairobi’s new tech hubs to the sprawling solar farms outside Lagos, it feels like...
In recent climate weeks, the buzzwords were everywhere: “green capital,” “just transition,” “unlocking climate finance.” On panels, participants nodded in agreement about the trillions needed to...
Africa holds the minerals the world needs. The real question is: can the continent hold the value, too? A continent at the centre of the green revolution From cobalt in the Democratic Republic of...
As New York Climate Week convenes global leaders, financiers, and activists to discuss accelerating the clean energy transition, one reality remains uncomfortably absent from the grand pledges: the...
The second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa closed with bold headlines: African leaders committed to mobilise $50 billion a year for climate solutions through a new Climate Solutions Initiative....
Today, I am attending the opening of the Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and one issue is already at the centre of my reflections: Africa’s climate finance is stuck in debt mode....
From Abuja to Kinshasa, the tone of Africa’s energy debates is shifting. For decades, the continent’s mineral wealth was extracted and exported with little local value. Fossil fuels promised...
Walk into any electric vehicle showroom in Berlin, Los Angeles or Shanghai, and you are looking at Africa. The cobalt that steadies the battery, the copper that carries the current, and the manganese...
At first glance, Africa’s energy transition looks as though it is finally gaining speed. Solar imports are at record highs, wind farms are sprouting across the Sahel, and hydro projects are being...
As the world looks ahead to next month’s Africa Climate Summit, negotiators are already circling one contentious phrase: “transitioning away from fossil fuels.” For African delegates, the lesson from...