Kenya has become the first African country to join the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA), marking a milestone for the global expansion of offshore wind.
Announced at the eleventh Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa on 17 June, Kenya’s accession to GOWA positions Africa alongside Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia in pursuing offshore wind as part of long-term energy and industrial strategies.
Kenya already generates nearly 90 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources and sees offshore wind as a potential new pillar of its clean energy system. According to GOWA, the country has an estimated 68 GW of floating offshore wind potential, offering opportunities to meet rising electricity demand, diversify power supplies and reduce reliance on imported fuels.
According to data from the World Bank Group’s ESMAP programme from 2020 , the technical potential off the Kenyan coast is 43 GW, of which 9 GW of technical potential could be tapped through fixed-bottom offshore wind and 34 GW with floating wind technology.
Offshore wind development is also aligned with Kenya’s Energy Transition and Investment Plan, launched in 2024, which sets out pathways to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 across the power, transport, industrial and cooking sectors.
Through its GOWA membership, Kenya will gain access to a network of governments, developers, investors and industry stakeholders working to accelerate offshore wind deployment globally. Floating wind is expected to be a key area of collaboration, given the deeper waters along Kenya’s Indian Ocean coastline, according to GOWA.
Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Energy, Alex Wachira, said offshore wind was “a new frontier for Africa” and added that the country’s coastline and maritime zones present opportunities for energy security, the blue economy and coastal communities.
GOWA Executive Director Amisha Patel said Kenya’s membership represented an important milestone for both the alliance and the continent, highlighting Africa’s growing role in ocean governance, climate action and the sustainable blue economy.
Founded by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the Danish government in 2022, GOWA aims to accelerate offshore wind deployment worldwide and support the development of at least 2,000 GW of global offshore wind capacity by 2050.
Shortly after being founded, the alliance saw Belgium, Colombia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the UK, and the US join.
Last year, the group further expanded as Canada joined, with two Canadian provinces, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, also becoming GOWA members as subnational governments.