Addis Ababa, December 10, 2025 – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and its Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Livelihoods (EELA) Program are pleased to announce their membership in the Africa Energy Efficiency Alliance (AEEA). The Alliance serves as a collaborative platform uniting regional energy centres, governments, regional economic communities, development partners, NGOs, research institutions, and private sector actors with a shared objective: accelerating energy efficiency across the African continent.

Launched at COP29 by the African Energy Commission (AFREC), AEEA builds on the Africa Energy Efficiency Strategy and Action Plan (AfEES), which targets a 50 percent increase in energy productivity by 2050 and 70 percent by 2063. The Alliance underscores the transformative role of energy efficiency in addressing Africa’s energy challenges. According to AFREC’s savings assessment report, African countries could save up to 175 TWh by 2040 - equivalent to more than 80 new 500 MW power plants -through appliance market transformation initiatives targeting lighting, cooling appliances, motors, and transformers.

To help realize this potential, AEEA will act as a central hub for knowledge exchange, coordination, and action. Its activities will include promoting advocacy and awareness, supporting research and development, enabling technology transfer, and mobilizing investment for energy efficiency solutions. By strengthening alignment among national, regional, and continental programs, the Alliance will help close persistent knowledge gaps, reduce duplication of efforts, and create opportunities for synergies and cost-efficiencies. This coordinated approach will support Africa’s transition toward more sustainable and energy-efficient systems.

The operationalization of the Alliance will take place during the inaugural African Energy Efficiency Conference (AfEEC), hosted by the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 10 to 11 December 2025. The event will bring together key stakeholders working on energy efficiency across the continent to review progress, deepen collaboration, and catalyse investments.

UNIDO’s membership builds on work initiated in 2019 through the EELA Project - now expanded as the EELA Program - which advances market transformation for efficient appliances and industrial solutions across East and Southern Africa. As part of the AEEA, UNIDO and EELA will contribute by promoting policy harmonization, supporting the development and adoption of Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), and strengthening regional frameworks to scale up efficient appliances and industrial energy solutions. Through the establishment of the Industry Clean-Tech Platform, UNIDO and EELA will support technical cooperation and investment facilitation, accelerating the deployment of energy-efficient technologies and contribute to Africa’s broader just energy transition  agenda.

UNIDO will be present during the conference, re-affirming its commitment to continue coordinating and working with AEEA partners as we amplify and accelerate progress on energy efficiency across the continent.