Energy Economy and Green Development: Pathways to Sustainable Transitions

Dear Colleagues,

1. Scope and Purpose of the Special Issue

a. Focus

This Special Issue focuses on the evolving nexus between the energy economy and green development, with a specific emphasis on the Sub-Saharan African context. It critically engages with how sustainable energy transitions—fueled by innovation, finance, and policy—can drive inclusive growth, address climate imperatives, and unlock socio-economic opportunities across the region. Contributions will explore how economic, environmental, and social priorities can be harmonized through green energy investments and technological advancement.

b. Scope

The scope encompasses both theoretical and empirical research on the transition from fossil-fuel-based energy systems to renewable, low-carbon alternatives that support sustainable development goals (SDGs). This includes:

• Renewable energy development: solar, wind, hydro, and bioenergy initiatives across SSA;
• Green economic growth: role of energy in promoting diversification, job creation, and industrial upgrading;
• Policy and regulatory frameworks: national energy strategies, carbon pricing, subsidies, and green industrial policy;
• Technological innovation: smart grids, storage technologies, mini-grids, and energy-efficient solutions;
• Green finance mechanisms: green bonds, concessional lending, and impact investing for energy projects;
• Social sustainability: energy access, gender equity, energy justice, and rural development;
• Global and regional trends: the impact of international climate policy, trade, and investment flows on energy development in SSA.

Both country-specific case studies and comparative regional analyses are welcome, as well as papers using tools such as time-series analysis (e.g., Spillover Index-Diebold-Yilmaz framework, VAR, ARDL), panel data models (e.g., panel cointegration, PVAR), and causal inference methods (e.g., DiD, IV-GMM)—to evaluate the economic, environmental, and social implications of green development and energy transition policies in Sub-Saharan Africa

c. Purpose

The main objective of this Special Issue is to advance scholarship and policy engagement on how energy economies can evolve to foster green development pathways. Specifically, the Issue aims to:

• Illuminate the synergies and tensions between economic development and environmental sustainability in energy policy;
• Promote context-specific strategies for a just and inclusive energy transition in Sub-Saharan Africa;
• Provide policy-relevant insights to governments, development institutions, and investors;
• Bridge knowledge gaps between energy economics, innovation systems, and sustainability studies in the African context.

2. Relationship to Existing Literature

This Special Issue builds upon and enriches several interlinked bodies of literature:

• Green Growth and Sustainable Development: It complements the literature on green growth by examining how energy transitions can operationalize SDGs—particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action)—within African economies.
• Energy Transition and Resource Efficiency: The issue contributes to discussions on energy system transformation by integrating techno-economic assessments with policy and governance considerations, especially in under-researched African regions.
• Green Finance and Investment: It advances recent work on financial instruments for sustainable energy, exploring African-specific challenges like financing gaps, risk perception, and institutional capacity.
• Technology and Innovation Systems: While much literature focuses on developed countries, this issue brings in African cases of innovation and diffusion in clean energy technologies, enabling comparative learning and policy adaptation.
• Socio-political Economy of Energy: The issue engages with social inclusion, justice, and participatory governance—areas often marginalized in energy economics.

This Special Issue will supplement existing research by providing updated regional insights, promoting interdisciplinary dialogue, and supporting evidence-based decision-making for energy transitions in SSA.

Dr. Ismail Fasanya
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• energy economy
• green development
• sub-saharan africa
• renewable energy
• sustainable development goals (SDGs)
• energy transition
• green finance
• technological innovation
• policy frameworks
• energy access and equity
• environmental sustainability
• economic diversification
• just energy transition