Brussels, May 2025 — Over three intensive days at the European Commission’s CDMA building, the CCSE Stakeholder Forum brought together a community of researchers, innovators, policymakers, and practitioners united by a common ambition: to build a more sustainable, resilient future at the crossroads of Africa and Europe.
Under the umbrella of LEAP Energy + (which encompasses the LEAP-RE and LEAP-SE COFUND initiatives), the European-African research and innovation programme advancing sustainable energy access across Africa, the Forum marked a defining moment. Building on the legacy of PRE-LEAP-RE, LEAP-RE, and LEAP-SE, LEAP Energy + aims to transform fragmented, project-based collaboration into a stable and institutionalised AU-EU research and innovation platform. It was not merely a meeting, but a convergence of visions, the forging of new relationships, and the formal launch of initiatives that will shape AU–EU collaboration for years to come.
DAY 1 — LAYING THE FOUNDATION
The Forum opened with a milestone: for the very first time, the 17 partners of LEAP Energy +, representing 13 countries across two continents, came together in person. The energy in the room reflected the scale of what was being built, a programme designed not only to advance clean energy solutions across Africa, but to do so through genuine, sustained partnership.
The afternoon was devoted to building the shared foundation this ambition requires, and the project’s common ecosystem was laid out. Maria Laura Trifiletti from CINEA — the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency — guided the consortium through the programme’s practical framework and the management tools that will support their work over the coming years.
DAY 2 — POWERFUL VOICES, PARALLEL AMBITIONS
The second day opened on a high note. Joanna Drake (European Commission) and Mahaman Bachir Saley (African Union) took to the stage to deliver opening statements that set the tone for what followed, articulating the stakes, the opportunities, and the collective responsibility that this partnership carries.
The day also marked the official kick-off of CAPA — the Climate Action within the AU–EU Partnership in Africa — a Coordination and Support Action funded under Horizon Europe. Bringing together 24 partner organisations from 16 countries, including 14 African partners spanning 9 nations, CAPA represents one of the most ambitious frameworks yet for integrating African climate science, local and indigenous knowledge, and European research capabilities into a cohesive response to the climate crisis.
CAPA’s objectives are far-reaching: co-developing a joint research and innovation roadmap for 2027–2034, strengthening early warning systems, and laying the groundwork for LEAP-Clim, a long-term EU–AU partnership on climate risk reduction and resilience.
The afternoon sessions fanned out across a rich diversity of topics. Parallel working groups explored biomass transformation, hydrogen and battery storage, solar energy, agricultural innovation, and electric mobility. Science and policy dialogue workshops brought together project developers, researchers, and policymakers, while a high-level panel reflected on the lessons learned from Horizon Europe and Global Gateway R&I programmes. The day closed with a thematic synthesis of the 2025 LEAP-SE Call projects, spanning topics as hydrogen, housing, adaptation, and recycling.
DAY 3 — TIMES AHEAD
The Forum’s final day focused on the future. LEAP-SE gathered to showcase several newly funded project launches, as the second call for projects is currently open.
In parallel, LEAP Energy + and CAPA came together to map out their work plans and identify collaboration opportunities. The afternoon was dedicated to CCSE Roadmap stakeholders: defining the Partnership’s thematic vision to 2034 and operationalising the CCSE Work Programme, where research priorities, funding instruments and ambition come together into a concrete plan.
Day 2 – Presentations and exchanges
A COMMUNITY LEAVING BRUSSELS STRONGER
Three days. Three initiatives — LEAP Energy +, LEAP-SE, and CAPA. And one CCSE Partnership, held together by a conviction that the challenges of our time — climate change, energy poverty, the need for equitable and sustainable development — can only be met through collaboration that is as deep as it is broad.
The CCSE community leaves Brussels with more than a shared agenda. It leaves with a shared foundation: the relationships, the trust, and the clarity of purpose that will make the years ahead not just productive, but meaningful.
The work continues, and with it, the hope for a climate-resilient, sustainable future that Africa and Europe will build, together.
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LEAP Energy+ is part of the CCSE Partnership, alongside LEAP-SE and CAPA, under the coordination of the European Commission.
