The British University in Egypt  isn’t just researching climate change—we’re actively shaping the policies designed to fight it! Through the influential participation of Professor Iman El Mahallawi and Dr. Tarek Ihab (Mechanical Engineering Department), BUE is providing critical intellectual firepower to the African Union’s Renewable Energy–Led Industrialisation initiative. This high-stakes project moves beyond theory, focusing squarely on informing regional and national climate adaptation policymaking across the continent.

The core mission is to provide concrete, actionable guidance for the AU and its member states on systemic and policy innovations that advance energy access and support sustainable industrialisation. This research is vital for building resilience and adaptation capabilities against escalating climate and energy challenges. A major thrust of BUE’s involvement is to instill a crucial foresight orientation and anticipatory governance capabilities within the AU framework. This empowers policymakers to use a cutting-edge strategic foresight framework to proactively plan for, and adapt to, future energy shocks and climate disruptions, ensuring governance is proactive, not just reactive.

To deliver these tangible policy solutions, the project leverages Egypt as a strategic, real-world case study due to its ambitious plan to source over 50% of its energy from renewables by 2030. The insights gained from this focused, localized study are intended to address key barriers and offer repeatable lessons on how other AU member states can rapidly scale renewable energy innovations. By channeling these findings back to the AU, BUE ensures that policy decisions are data-driven, systematic, and strategically aligned to achieve both economic development and robust climate adaptation goals across the continent.