Renewable energy’s untapped potential on the African continent is a key solution to its energy and development goals, as it can broaden electricity access, increase investment and allow African countries to become climate leaders through a participatory and people-centred approach. The Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) is a political effort to support this structural change. The initative was founded and coordinated by Africans with the aim to achieve universal access to clean energy on the continent. This paper published by Germanwatch together with ACSEA, Brot für die Welt und Power Shift Africa gives an overview of AREI’s structure and status quo as well as its problems and potentials.