Together, let’s shape Africa’s Energy Future
Join us in building a new, Africa-led energy research ecosystem. Register to be part of our community, be notified of our events and our call for proposals.
Local Insight. African Impact.
Powering African solutions through local knowledge and long-term capacity building.
African Energy Futures supports local, country focussed research hubs advancing inclusive energy planning, led by Africans for Africa. We back institutions embedded in local context to generate policy-relevant research, foster collaboration, and ensure Africa’s energy future is shaped by those who know it best. Rooted in modelling research, hubs are country-based, multi-disciplinary collaborations between research institutions, think-tanks, industry and policymakers.
What drives us:
Building Africa’s energy research capacity. Locally led analysis, focussed on the socio-economic, development, and political economy context, will lead to stronger local and international African voices, better policy and greater investment. There are things that need fixing:
63%
of research published on African energy systems does not involve African researchers
90%
< 3%
9%
of IPCC authors are from Africa, despite Africa’s 18% share of the global population
- Call for proposals
African Energy Futures Hub Call for Proposals Launch, 2025
On the 3rd of December 2025, with generous support from the Rockefeller Foundation, African Energy Futures launched our first call for proposals for African based institutions to host an energy research hub.
This million-dollar grant is intended to help establish an in-country energy research hub that can lead research cognisant of the local socio-economic and political-economy context. Hubs will lead collaborative research, train the next generation, and coordinate a community of multi-disciplinary experts that can work with policymakers and other stakeholders to drive investment in energy. Overtime AEF hubs will combine to share learnings and raise the African voice on energy and economic diversification.
Date: 3 December 2025
Format: Online
Time: 14:00 - 16:00 CAT
Register
Build a Hub. Build a Future.
We invite African-based universities, think-tanks and research institutions based in Africa to register their interest in forming a hub. These hubs will form the kernel of our collaboration network. They will lead local research and collaboration, help steer the strategy of African Energy Futures, and participate in our engagement platforms. On the 3rd of December 2025 we launched our first call for proposals, and future calls will follow. Registered institutions can apply for multi-year funding to expand their research hubs. Hubs should bring together local expertise and foster strong, ongoing collaboration with national policymakers. We’re looking for teams committed to deep, inclusive energy planning and long-term transformation.
From postgraduate researchers to postdocs and technical staff, our network provides a platform for emerging African talent to work on real-world energy challenges. Every African country has a different context and starting point. African Energy Futures will help you build multi-disciplinary hubs from forming an informal hub to concretising your goals into a hub proposal for funding. No matter where you are in your journey the network of hubs and African and international partners will provide opportunities for sharing ideas and best practice, collaborating on models and data, training, mentorship, and policy-focussed research and work placement.
