The Etihad 7 initiative aims to help African countries meet their fast-growing energy needs without the corresponding surge in greenhouse gas emissions. Reuters
The Etihad 7 initiative aims to help African countries meet their fast-growing energy needs without the corresponding surge in greenhouse gas emissions. Reuters
The Etihad 7 initiative aims to help African countries meet their fast-growing energy needs without the corresponding surge in greenhouse gas emissions. Reuters
The UAE is leading a programme to finance renewable energy projects in Africa to help countries on the continent meet their green energy needs and hasten their economic development.
The "Etihad 7" programme will secure funding for green initiatives on the continent as it seeks to provide clean power to 100 million people by 2035, the UAE Media Office said in a tweet on Tuesday.
"Our two regions are inextricably linked, with enormous potential for further co-operation in the years to come," Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, said in a statement on the ministry's website.
"One of the keys to unlocking that potential, supercharging Africa’s economies and allowing millions of people to contribute to building a prosperous continent is electricity, specifically, renewable energy."
The UAE's announcement for net zero emissions by 2050 made it the first country in the Mena region to come up with a concrete climate commitment plan.
The Gulf country hosts a large African diaspora and is keen on building new partnerships based on historical ties with African nations.
"The UAE is committed to partnering with sub-Saharan African nations to achieve sustainable development and promote the welfare of the larger region by advancing together in the field of renewable energy," Sheikh Shakhboot said.
The Etihad 7 initiative aims to help African countries to meet their fast-growing energy needs without the corresponding surge in greenhouse gas emissions.
"The programme facilitates sustainable development by solving key challenges that hinder clean and affordable energy in emerging markets,” he said.
The UAE already has several agreements in place with partners in sub-Saharan Africa under the Etihad 7 initiative to help them to pursue their clean energy and economic aims.
“Etihad 7 is a truly collaborative programme, one that acknowledges and adapts to the needs and requirements of our partner nations," Sheikh Shakhboot said.
Only 2 per cent of global investment in renewable energy in the last two decades was destined for Africa, with significant regional disparities, Irena said in a January 2022 report titled Renewable energy market analysis: Africa and its regions.
Less than 3 per cent of jobs in the global renewables sector are in Africa. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the electrification rate was static at 46 per cent in 2019, with 906 million people lacking access to clean cooking fuels and technology.
However, the continent has vast potential in wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal energy, with falling costs increasingly bringing renewables within reach, the report said.
Central and Southern Africa have abundant mineral resources essential to the production of electric batteries, wind turbines and other low-carbon technology.
"Despite the difficult shift away from carbon-intensive energy sources, the energy transition – when accompanied by an appropriate policy basket – holds huge promise for Africa," Irena said.
The energy transition under an Irena scenario, to cap the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, predicts a 6.4 per cent increase to gross domestic product by 2050 than that realised under current plans, it said.
The programme facilitates sustainable development by solving key challenges that hinder clean and affordable energy in emerging markets.
Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan, UAE Minister of State
Jobs created in the renewable energy transition will outweigh those lost by moving away from traditional energy, it said.
Every $1 million invested in renewables between 2020 and 2050 would create at least 26 job years while every $1m invested in energy efficiency would result in the creation of at least 22 job years annually, it said.
For these benefits to unfold, African countries need a comprehensive policy package that combines the pursuit of climate and environmental goals, economic development, job creation, social equity and social welfare, Irena said.
"Strong institutions, international co-operation [including South- South co-operation] and considerable co-ordination at the regional level" are also required, it said.
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area. Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife. Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”. He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale. Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
