The fact that 600 million Africans lack access to electricity is undermining Africa’s ambitious development goals and its ability to create the jobs and economic growth it will need.  However, to increase Africa’s energy production capacity, African countries will have to navigate a challenging path that balances increasing electricity production with limiting future harm from climate change, which will disproportionately affect Africa.  Africa has announced a number of important projects that will change the scope of Africa’s energy picture, including the Mega Solar project between Namibia and Botswana that will generate 5 GW of electricity when completed.  Several countries are also developing significant new natural gas discoveries, which offer the possibility of an accelerated transition from coal, while also contributing to global energy security in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  It is critical that governments and companies work together to produce a shared vision to get this challenging transition right.  This panel will discuss the most important recent developments, including the AU’s adoption in 2022 of the African Common Position on Energy Access and Just Transition, and discuss the outlook for the next several years.