Saudi Arabia Launches Empowering Africa Initiative
Against the backdrop of Saudi efforts to achieve sustainability and combat global challenges, the Oil Sustainability Program (OSP) of the Saudi Ministry of Energy launched “Empowering Africa” initiative in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology ( MCIT) and the Ministry of Health (MOH). The announcement came during the second week of MENA Climate Week 2023 in KSA.
During COP 28, which will be held in Dubai, the program details will be unveiled, as announced during MENA Climate Week 2023.
Aims of Initiative
The initiative aims to introduce essential connectivity solutions, e-learning platforms and e-health services accessible to African rural areas.
It further aims to sustain and grow the demand for hydrocarbons as a competitive source of energy by raising their economic and environmental efficiency, all while ensuring that the Kingdom’s energy transition is carried out efficiently and sustainably.
Empowering Africa Protecting Africans
Using coal or wood for cooking purposes is extremely dangerous, yet, unfortunately, these options are vastly used in Africa.
The “Empowering Africa” initiative will come to the rescue, as it will fund electric stoves, marking it as a key step towards sustainable development and improvement of the lives of millions.
Clean Fuel Solutions for Cooking provides clean cooking fuels like liquefied petroleum gas, solar power and biodigesters to 750 million people worldwide. These fuels can mitigate the threats that result from these traditional, perilous cooking habits.
The “Empowering Africa” initiative builds on the Clean Fuel Solutions for Cooking Program, which is a key element of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI).
Incentives of Empowering Africa Initiative
Proceeding from Saudi Arabia’s commitment to combat global challenges, encourage everyone to participate and enhance international cooperation to secure a better, brighter and more sustainable future, the Kingdom launched this initiative, which is one of the most ambitious initiatives untill now.
On the sidelines of Climate Week 2023, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy, highlighting the significance of the program, stressed that energy is one of the basic human rights. Getting access to energy consequently opens doors to other relevant more important issues.
” It is a moral issue first and foremost. It’s a humanitarian issue. I will speak for hours and hours because this is honestly more important than the entire energy policy of Saudi Arabia,” added the minister.
