Leading energy and infrastructure conglomerate, Sahara Group, has urged developed countries to embark on intentional technological investment in sustainable projects in Africa and other developing economies.
The company said this would enhance global efforts towards achieving a low carbon world.
Sahara Group’s Director of Governance and Sustainability, Ejiro Gray, said energy access must be a critical part of the ongoing energy transition conversation, especially in developing economies.
The company chief stressed the need for developed economies to take greater responsibility for moving the world closer to low carbon emissions, considering the fact that they have contributed most significantly to historic and current carbon emissions.
She explained that developing countries are disadvantaged because they are largely reliant on fossil fuel-driven economies for their growth and development initiatives, with significant levels of untapped reserves, especially across Africa.
“For this, there must be an intentional drive towards technological investments in sustainability projects, in the developing world by the developed world.
“This is not to absolve developing economies of the responsibility for their energy transition, but to ensure that the global drive is just and equitable,” Gray said.
The company chief noted that energy companies were coming into a greater consciousness of their role in the energy transition journey and were taking active steps to match their words with action.
According to her, Sahara Group’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has led to the development of the “extrapreneurship” concept, which refers to the group’s unique strategy for creating enabling environments for entrepreneurs.
Gray said the “extrapreneurship” model is propagated through projects centered on two key impact areas of energy and the environment.
The projects, she said, seek to drive awareness and affirmative action in support of resource efficiency, sustainability, and economic development through socially and environmentally sustainable ventures.