On the 21st of August 2025, the African Climate Action Partnership (AfCAP) together with the Growing Government Engagement in Energy Access Project (GGE-EA), funded with UK aid from the UK government via the Transforming Energy Access platform (TEA), and the African Association for Rural Electrification (CLUB-ER), co-convened a webinar entitled ‘Powering Climate Action: Aligning Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)’.

Energy access remains a major development challenge in Africa, efforts to expand access often operate in isolation from climate goals, missing key opportunities for alignment and financing. The webinar explored how SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) aligns with the goals of the Paris Agreement, and how these frameworks could be leveraged to drive the deployment of clean energy solutions. It unpacked the linkages between SDG 7 and climate action, highlighting the role of renewable energy in reducing emissions, and examining how countries can better align clean energy initiatives with national climate targets.  

The first presentation was done by Minky Groenewald from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Regional Collaboration Centers (RCC) for East & Southern Africa (EASA). She provided a clear introduction to the Paris Agreement and its role in global climate governance, emphasisng the shift toward country-led commitments through COP negotiations. She explained the importance of NDCs and Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) as tools for setting and achieving climate mitigation targets, highlighting how these frameworks enable countries to align with global goals, attract climate finance, and promote sustainable development. Crucially, she underscored the need to integrate energy access into NDCs and LT-LEDS, especially in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, by prioritising renewable energy, clean cooking solutions, and inclusive strategies that support a just transition and equitable growth.  

This was followed by a country experience presentation conducted by Esther Wang’ombe, Director Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, from Kenya. Wang’ombe offered a comprehensive overview of Kenya’s energy access goals, emphasising the efforts to expand reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy services to underserved communities, with clear targets aimed at achieving universal access. She then outlined the nation’s climate ambitions and NDCs, detailing mitigation and adaptation strategies designed to meet international climate commitments while fostering resilience. Finally, the presentation explored the alignment between SDG 7 and climate objectives, illustrating how integrated policy frameworks and cross-sectoral implementation approaches are being used to advance both agendas simultaneously, ensuring inclusive development and environmental sustainability. 

Aimee Tredoux, Project Manager & Research Assistant at SouthSouthNorth (SSN), delivered an engaging presentation on Climate Finance as a Catalyst for Climate Action. She began by defining climate finance and its critical role in enabling low-carbon, climate-resilient development. She highlighted the persistent climate finance gap, underscoring the disparity between available funding and the scale of investment needed to meet global climate goals. The presentation explored the synergies between illustrating how aligned financial flows can accelerate progress on both climate and energy access fronts. Aimee unpacked various financing mechanisms and traced the movement of climate-related funds, using case studies from South Africa and Nigeria to ground the discussion in real-world examples. She addressed practical challenges such as access barriers, institutional capacity, and policy coherence, before concluding with actionable next steps and key takeaways, emphasising the urgency of mobilising finance to unlock transformative climate action.