Government negotiations with Kenya in December 2022 at the BMZ in Berlin

    Government negotiations Germany is supporting Kenya on its path to 100 per cent renewables-based energy generation

    Press release 11 December 2022 | The Development Ministry (BMZ) will actively support Kenya in implementing its ambitious goals for a just energy transition. That is what the two countries agreed at their government negotiations in Berlin. The priority areas of this cooperation are developing renewable energies, expanding the electricity network, establishing hydrogen production and creating new jobs. Germany committed at least 112 million euros for this. The German delegation was headed by BMZ Parliamentary State Secretary Dr Bärbel Kofler.

    Branch of a coffee bush in Kenya with blossoms and unripe fruit. Coffee is one of the country's main exports.

    German development cooperation with Kenya

    Ms Kofler said: “Kenya is a country that is well ahead of the curve when it comes to the energy transition. At the Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, the groundwork was laid for our new Climate and Development Partnership. Now it is time to build on those foundations. The Partnership will help Kenya not only with the necessary technological innovations, but also with improving people’s acceptance of the energy transition. This is important in order to make the necessary changes sustainable.”

    The agreements reached between Germany and Kenya will add concrete commitments to the German-Kenyan Climate and Development Partnership which was concluded at the international climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh in the presence of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Kenya’s President William Ruto. Kenya is already generating about 90 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources – placing it at the top of the global green energy table. In order to support the East African country’s ambitious goal of transitioning wholly to renewable energy sources by 2030, Germany made commitments for projects that involve, for example, enlarging power grids, feeding renewable energy into the electricity network or providing advice on issues of national climate policy.

    Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Kenyan Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua, Development State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth and Kenyan President William Ruto (from left) after signing a roadmap for a Climate and Development Partnership.

    Press release 8 November 2022 COP27: Germany and Kenya agree Climate and Development Partnership

    In addition, Kenya will receive support for establishing a green hydrogen economy. As a country with especially large renewable energy resources and good infrastructure compared to some of its regional neighbours, Kenya is in a favourable position for making the energy transition and has the potential to become a regional leader in pioneering the use of this technology of the future. Green hydrogen can be used for a very wide range of PtX products, for example for fertiliser production, which is especially important for food security. Since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began, the prices for fertiliser have exploded. In East Africa, in particular, fertiliser is in short supply and, without it, the already precarious food situation is in danger of becoming an acute emergency.

    Adaptation to climate change is another especially challenging task for Kenya. Eastern Africa has been experiencing a severe drought for several years now. This has pushed the region into an unprecedented crisis. Not only are the livelihoods of millions of people who work in agriculture threatened, the food supply for the entire population is hanging in the balance. The Climate and Development Partnership between Germany and Kenya therefore also includes a focus on making agriculture less vulnerable to the effects of drought – for example by growing crops that are more robust, or planting trees, or building storage facilities to help manage water use more efficiently. In order to create additional employment and income opportunities, above all for young people, Germany is also particularly promoting vocational training. There is a special focus here on the needs of women – for example by going digital. Online education and training means new opportunities for remote learning. That way, people who are tied to the home can still participate in the courses that are offered.