This report presents the scope and details of the work conducted under Task 2.5 regarding SESA’s Community of Practice (hereafter CoP), led jointly by UNEP-CCC and UNEP. The report will present a status of the CoPs activities and present an overview of the main outputs delivered by each of the CoP partners under the three Communities of Practice, namely: The Solar PV CoP, the Waste to Energy (hereafter WtE), and the Electric-mobility CoP (hereafter E-mobility).

Executive Summary

This report presents an overview of the activities undertaken as part of SESA’s task 2.5, which focuses on Global Training, Communities of Practice (CoPs), and E-Learning.

Led by the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the task aims to foster knowledge sharing, collaboration, and capacitybuilding across Africa in support of sustainable energy solutions, building on the many activities led by the SESA partners throughout the project’s duration.

A central component of task 2.5 is the development and coordination of Communities of Practice
(CoPs), structured around three thematic areas:

• Waste to Energy and Clean Cooking
• Solar PV
• Electric Mobility and E-Batteries

The report details the structure, operations, and outputs of each Cop. Together, the CoPs and ELearning efforts made significant contributions to SESA’s overarching mission of accelerating the adoption and scalability of sustainable energy innovations across Africa, particularly via the six webinars organized, 3 podcast episodes launched, and 12 knowledge products, which have reached a wide community of experts inside and outside SESA.

These CoPs have served as collaborative platforms where SESA project experts, country partners, and stakeholders can exchange experiences, share technical knowledge, and disseminate best practices emerging from SESA’s pilot projects and living labs. Their primary objectives include fostering peer-to-peer learning, promoting thematic dialogue, supporting replication and scaling of sustainable energy solutions, and enabling policy, financial, and business frameworks in the region.

Through the creation of virtual forums and the publication of relevant materials, including research outputs, market insights, and case studies, the CoPs have played a vital role in bridging knowledge gaps, strengthening implementation capacity, and linking projects with regional and global networks. Drawing examples from the living labs and pilot areas, the CoP’s activities sought to showcase how the science and practice gap can be bridged across Africa and beyond. Importantly, the Communities are also relevant to ensure the sustainability and long-term impact of SESA’s work by encouraging continued collaboration between partners and external stakeholders beyond the project’s lifespan.

Complementing these efforts, the E-Learning activities under task 2.5 aim to leverage the comprehensive knowledge base accumulated through SESA. This component offers stakeholders access to case studies and practical, real-life insights from project partners, thus enhancing their ability to implement effective energy solutions in Africa and beyond.