A new research report published by telecommunications group Vodacom highlights Africa’s high vulnerability to climate change, with decarbonisation efforts hampered by critical energy challenges.

Titled ‘Decarbonising Africa’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Sector’, it shows that factors including weak grid infrastructure, financial constraints within utilities, complex regulatory environments and unreliable electricity supply continue to slow down the adoption of renewable energy across the continent.

Owing to weak grid infrastructure and unreliable electricity supply, many sectors, including telecommunications, healthcare, mining, logistics and manufacturing, continue to rely on carbon-intensive, costly diesel generators to power operations.

As climate pressures intensify and energy demand grows, Africa must cut carbon emissions while expanding access to reliable, affordable power that supports development, jobs and digital inclusion.

The report highlights that, should the current systemic barriers to Africa’s decarbonisation remain unaddressed, the continent faces escalating climate and economic vulnerability, as continued reliance on fossil fuels will increase greenhouse-gas emissions, air pollution and health impacts, while undermining energy security and competitiveness.

Unreliable power will also stall digital and socioeconomic development, limiting the reach and quality of digital infrastructure and impeding progress in education, healthcare, business and civil society participation.

“Decarbonisation in Africa cannot be approached in isolation or through a single- sector lens. While we have set an ambition to work towards net-zero emissions, progress depends on systemic change across the energy ecosystem,” says Vodacom Group external affairs chief officer Ayman Essam.

This will require multi-sector collaboration, coordinated action across public and private stakeholders and energy system reforms that unlock investment in renewable and decentralised energy solutions.

Policies that enable private-sector participation, new financing models and partnerships that can scale renewable energy solutions beyond individual organisations are required.

Without enabling policies and financial mechanisms, Africa risks missing out on investment and innovation opportunities, losing the chance to attract climate finance, develop local industries and create jobs in the clean energy sector, the report points out.

It outlines several practical solutions that could help accelerate decarbonisation across the ICT sector, including energy-sector reforms that enable greater private-sector participation, renewable energy procurement mechanisms such as power purchase agreements and the expansion of decentralised energy solutions, including mini-grids, to power remote mobile network base stations.

“Vodacom’s own decarbonisation journey reflects how meaningful emissions reductions are achievable, even in energy-constrained environments,” he says, explaining that, in the past financial year, the group matched 100% of grid electricity purchased with electricity from renewable sources, reducing Scope 2 market-based emissions to almost zero across most operations.

Since the 2020 financial year, Vodacom has reduced scope 1 and 2 market-based greenhouse-gas emissions by 77%, driven primarily by energy efficiency improvements and renewable electricity procurement.

Ongoing network optimisation has improved the efficiency of data delivery across the network, significantly lowering the energy required to carry growing volumes of traffic, from 1.55 MWh a terabyte of data in 2020 to 0.36 MWh a terabyte in 2025.

“Today, 61% of Vodacom’s total scope 1 and 2 energy consumption is now sourced from renewables, including onsite generation, power purchase agreements and renewable energy certificates,” he adds.

While mobile network operators are major energy consumers, the report emphasises that they are also critical enablers of Africa’s digital and economic development, making their role in the low-carbon transition both complex and essential.

Developed with technical support from the Carbon Trust, the research draws on sector analysis, case studies and interviews with stakeholders across the ICT and energy value chains, including utilities, technology providers, financial institutions and regulators.

“By sharing insights and identifying pathways forward, the report aims to support more coordinated action across the industry and take up the significant opportunity for Africa to build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable digital economy,” Essam concludes.