Africa is not a great emitter of carbon at the moment, so if we're making a transition that requires Africa to bear the burden of it, then it is unjust.

So a just energy transition is one that works for many, if not all, in a way that is also very inclusive.

A sustainable energy transition is one that takes into consideration the environmental, economic and social impact of energy consumption to ensure that none of these issues suffer in any way.

But in doing that, we also need to ensure that it is fair and inclusive.

The main problem for Africa, or what is at stake here, is that if Africa does nothing, the world will not wait for Africa.

And if Africa chooses to do something, there is also a possibility that certain things will suffer.

So Africa is caught in between solving basic everyday human challenges like addressing poverty, providing health services, investing in education, investing in infrastructure.

So these are pressing problems that would also require Africa paying attention to climate issues.

So caught in between, sometimes it's a matter of putting food on the table and thinking about the environment, and in most instances it's like that because you have many people in Africa who are struggling with these daily needs.

So what is at stake for Africa in that sense is that if it does nothing, it's left behind.

If it does something, then it has to be very creative.

But it's also an opportunity.

It's not all about the risk, because Africa is starting from a clean sheet, so to speak.

So it's an opportunity also for Africa to get it right.

And Africa can become the social lab of the world, where if we get it right, then it means that other people can also learn from us.

But in that case, for Africa to benefit, it may require collaborative effort.

The factors at play here would include, one, the raw materials, you know, where are they coming from?

Because if we're talking about energy transition, we're also looking about talking about renewable energy and also changes in technologies and transportation.

There's been a lot of talk now about electronic vehicles.

But electronic vehicles, we require batteries, and batteries, we require raw materials.

Some of these raw materials also come from Africa.

So you're looking at the value chain or the supply chain, and you're wondering how sustainable are these.

And at this time, we may not even understand the full implication, the lifecycle analysis of electronic vehicles in particular.

So assuming the world shifts to electronic vehicles today, what are the possible outcomes going forward?

What would environmental pollution or e-waste look like?

And who will suffer that, and who will be at the brunt of it?

So these are some of the issues at stake.

So you also have technology also as an important dimension, R&D, research and development.

At the moment, there is a danger that Africa might end up depending on foreign technologies and foreign R&D.

So it's also an opportunity for Africa to start thinking of making such investments and contributing to knowledge production in such a way that empowers Africa to be self-reliant and also collaborate with other parts of the world.

But in order to do that, we need money.

So there is also implication for finance and how to make these initiatives work.

So in that case, you have three main things, natural resources.

You also have research and development or the technology side of things, as well as the financial dimension.

Well, ultimately, you need also the political will, the government and governance in a broad sense to tie all these three together.

Because without appropriate governance, it becomes quite difficult to realize them.

These points are covered in the program because we framed it in such a way that we are looking at energy needs of Africa, but understanding the energy needs of Africa within the context of the climate change conversation, because it's not one or the other.

If you present only climate change without the energy needs of Africa, it might be out of place.

And also if you think about energy needs of Africa in the absence of climate change, it is not complete.

So we bring the two together, but bringing them together is not just sufficient.

We need to think about the financial implications, as well as the R&D implications, and also the role of governments and different actors, the private sector, the CSOs, coming together to solve these problems.

Then the question is, why is EUI an important player here?

And EUI has over time developed the expertise in regulation, for example.

EUI has also established a new school of transnational governance, and climate change is a transnational issue.

So EUI has the expertise in terms of regulation, in terms of governance, but also the EUI has the Florence School of Banking and Finance, which also can speak to the financial dimension.

So an EUI is an European entity which has the legitimacy to speak on these issues, and EUI is reaching out to Africa.

Last year we were in Kampala, and this year we are in Accra in Ghana.

The idea is for EUI to build a stronger relationship with Africa, and we see this as a good opportunity to establish that relationship and build something that will last longer than just coming for a three-day program.