Professor Ivan Cardillo, Founder of the Institute of Chinese Law, has urged African nations to strategically design their energy systems around renewables, avoiding the carbon-intensive pathways historically taken by industrialised countries.
Speaking at a webinar titled *Toward a Shared Green Future: China, Africa, and the Strategic Reconfiguration of Global Energy Transmission*, organised by the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory (ACCPA) and the Institute of Chinese Law, Professor Cardillo highlighted lessons from China’s clean energy expansion over the past decade.
China, he noted, surpassed one terawatt of solar capacity while integrating wind, hydro, and transmission technologies into a unified grid through deliberate policy frameworks and heavy investment in electricity transmission networks. He stressed that Africa could bypass some of the energy-intensive stages of development by prioritising high-voltage transmission corridors and smart grid technologies from the outset.
Professor Cardillo highlighted that Chinese companies have constructed over 66,000 kilometres of transmission lines across more than 40 African countries, while financing and building renewable energy projects, including solar parks, wind farms, and hydropower plants in South Africa, Kenya, and Namibia. Initiatives under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative are increasingly targeting clean energy infrastructure to address energy poverty and promote sustainable development.
He emphasized that enabling policies and regulatory reforms are critical, pointing to China’s grid integration goals and access guarantees for renewable producers as adaptable measures for African policymakers. With Africa projected to become the world’s fastest-growing solar market by 2025, supported largely by Chinese solar module imports, investments in transmission are essential to ensure reliable, low-carbon energy supply.
Professor Cardillo also cited regional initiatives, such as the Ethiopia–Kenya ±500 kV DC transmission project, and multilateral support from the World Bank and African Development Bank, as models for enhancing grid resilience and cooperation across borders.
He concluded that Africa’s energy transition depends on strategic planning, smart grid design, and international collaboration, offering the continent an opportunity to leapfrog fossil-fuel dependency and achieve sustainable growth.
