Reimagine renewable energy exploration in post-COVID-19 Africa

COVID-19 health crisis emerges at a time when African continent is pushing to increase her renewable energy (RE) uptake. To varying degrees, RE is susceptible to the global disruption engendered by COVID-19 pandemic, given its considerable impact and associated uncertainties related to economy and disruption of manufacturing processes. Therefore, there arises a need to highlight the possible impact of COVID-19 on the RE sector in Africa. Based on extensive desktop analysis and semi-structured interviews, this study discusses the socio-economic and policy impact of COVID-19 global pandemic on RE exploration. Most respondents suggested that their income level was largely unaffected, though the activities of 16% respondents in RE exploration decreased by more than 25%. Our study indicated that supply chain disruption, health and safety challenge, and financial risk, among other risks, were posed by COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the opinion of the respondents varied on the summative impact of COVID-19 on the RE exploration in Africa. 40% of the respondents expressed that the pandemic affected their organization negatively, while 32% were positive on how the pandemic affected their business activities and income. Finally, the study proposed key priorities and strategies, such as digital transformation, domestication, and indigenization of RE technologies that can be deployed to accelerate renewable energy growth in the post-COVID-19 global pandemic era. This study will provide appropriate guidance for governments and renewable energy industries toward an accelerated uptake of renewable energy in Africa.