Energy Sustainability in African Higher Education: Current Situation and Prospects

The chapter gives special attention to how higher education institutions (HEIs) within Africa can participate in and promote the energy sustainability agenda. The authors first examine the topic of sustainability in higher education and thereafter focus on energy sustainability within higher education institutions. The main aspects in the discussion include energy as a source of third-stream funding; energy programmes as revenue sources for higher education institutions; consultancies and networks that can be created around the renewable energies agenda; new research possibilities on energy sustainability. Other discussions centre on how African HEIs can integrate sustainability practices within their processes. Renewable energy technologies (RETs) provide important technology options to meet the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) needs in African countries. RETs can provide employment opportunities and clean energy to remote communities which are far from the grid. The COP 27 meeting stressed resource efficiency as an issue for both industry and society and a need for cooperation among scientific bodies, including higher education institutions. This was later reiterated during the 2022 Sustainable Energy for All Forum which provided $242 million to 10 countries, with four in Africa. Energy sustainability is one of the emerging critical issues in the twenty-first century.