Africa’s energy sector faces major challenges that hinder socio-economic development, including limited generation capacity, inefficient transmission, high fuel import costs, unreliable supply, and heavy reliance on traditional biomass, while demand-side issues such as low access to electricity and clean cooking solutions and the prevalence of inefficient appliances further compound the situation. To support the continent’s Agenda 2063 vision, AFREC and the EU GTAF initiated the African Union Energy Efficiency Strategy (AfEES), building on earlier initiatives such as MEPS development and enforcement, off-grid appliance quality assurance, and reduction of transmission losses. AfEES provides the first continental roadmap for scaling up energy efficiency, aligned with existing AU energy policies. Its vision is to create a sustainable, efficient, and inclusive energy system with universal access, and its purpose is to accelerate the adoption of EE technologies and practices by fostering an enabling environment for trade, investment, and innovation. The strategy sets an aspirational target to increase Africa’s energy productivity by 50% by 2050 and 70% by 2063, decoupling economic growth from energy consumption. It proposes six sectoral roadmaps built around short-, medium-, and long-term actions at continental, regional, and national levels across key thematic pillars such as regulation, standards, data, technology, capacity building, market frameworks, and finance. These roadmaps underscore the need for comprehensive measures, better-quality data, and strong standard-setting capacity to support effective EE implementation. Overall, AfEES aims not to replace national efforts but to elevate energy efficiency as a strategic development priority that maximises Africa’s resources and drives transformative, long-term change.