Africa Renewable Energy Manufacturing Initiative

African countries have an immense opportunity to become green manufacturing hubs, producing technologies like solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles advancing job creation and industrialization goals.

The Africa Renewable Energy Manufacturing Initiative (Africa REMI) is a work-stream under SEforALL’s Green Industrialization Hub, aimed at building local manufacturing ecosystems for energy transition technologies in Africa.

Launched during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2023, Africa REMI focuses on supporting local assembly and manufacturing of solar PV, batteries and e-mobility technologies through national and regional level action, translating into job creation and industrialization outcomes.

The Opportunity

Renewables will play an important role in meeting Africa’s growing demand for energy driven by increasing access, consumption and industrialization. Renewables and electric mobility will meet much of this demand growth, creating an immense opportunity for countries to establish domestic green manufacturing hubs to reduce import dependency, create jobs and maximize socio-economic benefits. The opportunity is even greater given that the continent is home to many of the critical energy transition minerals needed to produce clean technologies.

Under the green transition scenario, Africa boasts an impressive potential:

1.59$

Billion imports into Africa of solar PV modules in 2024

14 m

Employment opportunities

6.4%

Surge in GDP

Source: UN Trade and Development data and SEforALL Africa REMI: Opportunity and Advancement Report

Our activities

Africa REMI efforts are directed towards five priorities that are essential to scale-up of renewable energy manufacturing:

Industrial Policy & Plans

Partner with governments to inform policy and incentive design to support domestic renewable energy manufacturing, leveraging South-South experience sharing, and advancing a regional approach to value chain development.

Demand Stimulation & Investment Facilitation

Engage with public initiatives and donor programmes to stimulate demand for domestic products, while extending end-to-end support to supply-side enterprises on financing and matchmaking across markets in Africa and other regions, including Asia.

Market Intelligence

Deliver data-driven assessments and analysis on market sizing, financing opportunities, policy and institutional landscapes to guide decision-making by policy makers, development partners, investors, local and international private sector players.

Capacity Building

Strengthen Africa’s manufacturing workforce and companies of the future by facilitating trainings and curriculum development for technical and non-technical skills, related to renewable energy manufacturing by leveraging South-South cooperation.

Communication

Showcase success stories of government programmes and enterprises pioneering renewable energy manufacturing in Africa, quantifying impact and showcasing emerging lessons for a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition in the Global South and at national, global fora including G20.

Focus Countries

Africa REMI activities currently focus on Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, with plans to expand to additional countries in 2025-26.

South-South cooperation is a cross-cutting element in Africa REMI activities with strong ongoing engagement with non-focus countries in Africa and other regions, including South Asia, ASEAN and Latin America.

The initiative welcomes collaboration with governments, investment development corporations, financiers’, industry and development partners — fostering global partnerships to accelerate sustainable, inclusive green value chain development.

Reach out to us on: Africaremi@seforall.org