As both Europe and Africa seek a transition to more sustainable energy sources, how can the two continents work together towards climate-resilient energy security? What sort of cooperation would lead to a just and sustainable transition, and what can each partner bring to the table?

In the run-up to COP27 in November 2022, Debating Europe invited over 100 young people across both Africa and Europe to participate in a series of online focus group discussions on how the COVID pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine have affected their perception of threat. Youth from both continents identified the impacts of climate change and the energy crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine as shared concerns.  Youth are in support of alternative sources of energy, not just to mitigate the effects of climate change but to address gas shortages and price increases.

We brought the views of the 100 young people to experts and citizens from both continents to discuss the future of Europe-Africa energy cooperation. You can watch the panel in the video above where you can hear from:

• Nancy Saich (EIB Chief Climate Change Expert)
• Dr. Kandeh Yumkella (Founder and CEO of The Energy Nexus Network, MP Sierra Leone, former UN Under-Secretary-General and Chair of UN Energy)
• Amir Witt (African citizen, Nigeria)
• Eleni Triantafyllidou (European citizen, Greece)
• Artjoms Ušakovs (European citizen, Latvia)
• Thanda Mhlanga (Africa-Europe Foundation, moderator)

Read more: Securing Our Future: 100 African and European Voices on Climate Change, Conflict and Security

Editorially independent content supported by: European Investment Bank (EIB). See our FAQ for more details.