Overall theme and context

Almost 10 years ago, AFD, in partnership with the École Normale Supérieure and Carbone 4 , launched its first MOOC on energy and ecological transitions in developing countries. This first MOOC, which has since been taken by more than 20,000 participants, raised awareness and educated a wide audience about the challenges and opportunities of these transitions.

Building on the experience and lessons learned from this first initiative, AFD is offering a new MOOC, this time focusing on the essential acceleration of energy transitions in emerging and developing countries.

It is fully in line with the international momentum generated by the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. Faced with the climate emergency and the legitimate aspirations of these countries to improve their living conditions in a sustainable manner, we are faced with a double challenge: reducing our dependence on fossil fuels while ensuring reliable and affordable access to energy.

Learning objectives

This MOOC seeks to show that it is possible to reconcile these imperatives, by recalling that each national context requires specific approaches, and that no single solution can meet the diversity of sustainable development paths.

This MOOC highlights current and future trends, as well as the role of technical innovations and public policies in supporting this global transformation of energy systems. It also addresses the social justice dimension of these transitions, by detailing the strategies and projects deployed in AFD’s countries of intervention.

At the end of this training, you will have a better understanding:

• How energy choices influence development trajectories
• Key trends and figures by energy source and sector, including of course the necessary investment volumes
• And finally the different technical, financial and organizational solutions that can be implemented to accelerate transitions, taking into account the contexts encountered.
  

Teaching and activities

Designed in a spirit of “Call to Action”, this MOOC offers expert interventions and concrete case studies, both in the South and in the North. These insights will highlight the levers for accelerating energy transitions in AFD’s intervention areas.

The training is structured into 6 main sequences:

• a general introduction on the links between energy, development and sustainability,
• more technical sequences on energy efficiency, access to energy services, renewable energies and electricity grids,
• a final dedicated to more transversal but equally important issues: the organization of the electricity sectors, regulation, the panorama of the actors involved, or even the financing modalities of these transitions.
• In conclusion, an opening on the need to change paradigm to respond to the magnitude of challenges, balancing human development and respect for environmental limits.
  Each sequence is divided into ‘educational grains’ (between 5 and 8), and punctuated with quizzes to allow you to evaluate your understanding and progress serenely.

Registration details

A tutored edition in English and another in Spanish will be launched in September 2025.

Target audience

This course is aimed at a very varied audience of decision-makers, public sector agents, business executives, students, and more broadly to all citizens concerned by these issues, in the North as well as in the South.