Power driver

China will continue to accelerate the energy transition in Africa during the 15th Five-Year Plan period

China has achieved significant economic growth, innovation and social improvements in the past few years. Several key achievements during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period show this headway. One is an increase in the R&D expenditure to 2.69 percent in 2024, approaching the 2.73 percent average of the OECD economies. This has had a positive impact on enhancing production efficiency and driving innovation across sectors due to high-performance chips, artificial intelligence and robotics. Another is the number of registered private enterprises, which surpassed 58 million by the end of May 2025, over 40 percent higher than in 2020. Besides, the livelihood of citizens has been improved. The average life expectancy has increased from 77.3 in 2019 to 79 in 2024.

With this solid foundation, one of the focuses for the next five years will be renewable energy, because it will pave the way for the accomplishment of high-quality development and positively impact the domestic environment, improving people's well-being.

The security of the country's energy supply was strengthened during the 14th Five-Year Plan period and carbon emissions were reduced. This has been achieved through the increase in wind and solar power generation capacity. There has also been the acceleration of the construction of hydroelectric power plants and the creation of several complementary clean energy bases.

All these efforts have helped increase the share of non-fossil fuels in China's total energy consumption, to 19.8 percent in 2024 from 16 percent in 2020. China held more than 40 percent of the world's patents in the fields of renewable energy technologies by August 2025.

China has engaged in the construction of nine major energy bases. These include the world's largest pumped storage power plant, located in Fengning, Hebei province, and the Baihetan hydropower plant, located in the border area of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Hence, the total installed renewable energy capacity reached 2.17 billion kilowatts, or nearly 60 percent of the country's total installed capacity by July 2025. Today, one in three kilowatt-hours consumed in society comes from clean, renewable sources.

Similarly, the renewable energy sector has experienced rapid growth, with annual electricity generation from renewable sources exceeding 3.46 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2024. The new energy power generation reached 1.45 billion kW by the end of 2024, reinforcing the country's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and transitioning toward a greener economy.

In particular, China is on track to showcase key learning from its ongoing drive to realize the vision of building an ecological civilization and transition the country from a high-growth development model toward a more nature-friendly, high-quality one. This could potentially offer a new growth model as reference for other Global South countries.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China shared its development achievements with Africa through bilateral cooperation and South-South cooperation. The partnership between China and Africa is widening with an impact on job creation and economic diversification. For instance, at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit held in September 2024, President Xi Jinping announced zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines for all the least-developed countries having diplomatic relations with China, which include 33 African countries, effective from Dec 1, 2024. In June, China extended the policy to all 53 African countries that have diplomatic ties with the country.

One important realization of the partnership in Nigeria is the Lekki Deep Sea Port, fully automated deepwater facility equipped with cutting-edge ship-to-shore super post-Panamax cranes and advanced scanning technology. It was developed by China Harbor Engineering Company as part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Also, the Blue (Rail) Line, built by a Chinese company, provides green and convenient public mass transportation to Lagos residents.

In mid-2025, Algeria launched the extension of the Algiers metro in cooperation with China Railway Construction Corporation. This was the first time that a Chinese company had acted as a contractor in the construction of a metro in Algeria.

In early 2025, Morocco and China launched a joint laboratory in El Jadida, dedicated to the optimization of renewable energies. This partnership between the two nations aims to strengthen innovation and technology transfer.

Similarly, the launch of a Sino-Moroccan joint venture was announced during the inauguration of a lithium-ion battery component plant in Western Morocco for electric vehicles, marking the first project of its kind in the North African country. Approximately 1,800 skilled jobs will be created directly as a result of this project, and another 1,800 will be created indirectly.

As for Sino-Algerian cooperation, several agreements were signed in mid-2025 for projects in the automotive, agricultural, railway and maritime sectors.

The Algerian-Chinese solar project, led by a Chinese consortium, China Water and Electric Power Construction Corporation, and China Nuclear Industry Huaxing Construction Company, was launched in 2023 and is an essential step for Algeria in its energy transition.

Another 300-megawatt solar project, developed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), aims to fully exploit the Saharan solar potential and contribute to diversifying the country's renewable energy sources.

A 200 MW grid-strengthening solar project led by CSCEC aims to strengthen energy supply in the region while reducing carbon emissions.

In short, these solar projects will not only accelerate Algeria's energy transition and produce clean electricity, but also lessen its dependence on hydrocarbons, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and stimulate the national economy. In addition, these initiatives will make Algeria a key player in the development of clean energy in Africa and beyond.

Finally, on the African continent, China and Africa are intensifying their collaboration to jointly address the challenges of climate change. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi mentioned during his visit to the Republic of Congo in early 2025 the ambitious solar energy development project on the African continent called "Africa Solar Belt". It is a major program aimed at providing the African continent with a sustainable energy infrastructure, with a focus on renewable energy, particularly solar energy. This project is part of a strategic partnership aimed at promoting sustainable, environmentally friendly development and accelerating the energy transition in Africa.

Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, African countries and other Global South nations should further their cooperation with China to achieve win-win results in the next five years.

The author is an emeritus professor at the University of Tlemcen, Algeria, a senior researcher at the China-Africa Economic and Trade Research Institute at Zhejiang Gongshang University and a counselor at the China-Africa Bridge. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.