Executive summary
This study on energy efficiency and renewable energy in food processing was commissioned by Partners in Food Solutions (PFS), SNV, and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). With a focus on Nigeria and Uganda, the study examines energy use, efficiency gaps, and opportunities for clean energy adoption across Africa’s food-processing sector with a nutrition lens.
It also provides actionable recommendations for governments, development partners, and the private sector to support small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) transition to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy systems - delivering a triple win for nutrition, climate, and economic growth.
Key Messages
- Africa must align clean energy transition with nutrition gains. Food and energy prices are closely linked. Energy inefficiencies in processing raise costs, waste food, and undermine food and nutrition security. Urgent, energy-efficient, and clean energy interventions are needed to improve the availability of nutritious foods and reduce spoilage.
- African food processors are up to two times more energy intensive than their global peers. Outdated equipment, inefficient thermal systems, poor maintenance, and inadequate waste and heat recovery mean that processing one kilogram of produce can require nearly double the energy, reducing competitiveness.
- Fossil fuel lock-in undermines Africa’s agro- industrialisation and climate mitigation goals. Diesel dominates off-grid processing operations, while unreliable power drives greater diesel dependence. Biomass and firewood account for 18%-48% of fuel use in rural dairy plants and 70%-90% in fish processing, adding to emissions, deforestation, and health risks