And, while this transition may have felt like it would take decades, Covid-19 is accelerating it by up-ending the existing energy production landscape.

For some of Africa’s biggest economies, this means a move away from the extraction of fossil fuels to the development of new renewable energy sources.

These are conclusions laid out in the third edition of Africa Insights, a report by African law firm Bowmans, produced in partnership with the Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Complex Systems in Transition.

The document is titled, “Energy transitions in South and East Africa: The potential and impact of renewable energy as a catalyst for change.”

Bowmans’ Chairman and Senior Partner Robert Legh explains that Covid-19 had recalibrated the conversation around energy.

“Fundamental change may well lie ahead, possibly even the potential transformation of the foundations of industrial civilisation,” he says.

To fully understand the impact of the anticipated decrease in global energy demand and the recovery prospects of economies reliant on energy revenues, including the major economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, read the report here.

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