The Africa Sustainable Energy Dialogue, the flagship event of the Africa Sustainable Energy Center (ASEC), convened on Friday, May 16, to examine the root causes of Africa's persistent energy access challenges.
Held virtually across the Center's platforms, this year's dialogue was themed: "Bridging Africa's Energy Access Gap: Challenges, Innovations and Path Forward." The dialogue brought together leading voices in African energy, who challenged common narratives around the continent's energy poverty and instead called for a deeper examination of structural, political, and economic barriers. "Most often, we hear that over 600 million Africans do not have access to electricity.
We hope this doesn't become a cliché," one of the moderators noted.
Speaking during the dialogue on the reason why energy access remains out of reach for over 600 million Africans, whether it is political, infrastructural, or economic, panelists made it clear that the issue goes beyond just a lack of resources.
