| Abstract |
Developing effective geothermal energy policy communication strategy in Africa will enhance public awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and positive actions for sustainable supply of clean energy for all. The media have a social responsibility to promote geothermal energy policy development for sustainable energy technology innovations for social, economic, political, and environmental stability in Africa. The objectives are to: assess the current national status of geothermal energy; determine the extent of the national geothermal energy technology innovations diffusion for a sustainable clean energy for all; profile the SDGs with a focus on the targets of SDG 7; state the social responsibility of the press (media) in promoting geothermal energy research, policy, and technology innovations to achieve SDG 7; as well as to establish the social, economic, political, and environmental benefits of geothermal energy in eastern Africa. This is a review of policies, projects, and legislations from the national, regional, and international partners in geothermal energy exploration in eastern African states. Geothermal energy is critical for household, institutional, commercial, industrial, and sub-regional energy needs. Geothermal energy is available for sustainable development efforts. Awareness and knowledge of the geothermal prospects of energy innovations, exploitations, research, challenges and benefits accrued from use of geothermal energy is still very limited to public domain. Geothermal energy is accessible, green, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, promotes energy markets, creates local job opportunities, commercially viable, promotes rural electrification, research, and health. International collaborations are working, public private partnerships (PPP) for the energy awareness is still too low, less coordinated stakeholders, capacity needs, data weaknesses, and policy gaps exist. Exploiting geothermal energy is very imperative for sustainable energy for all in Africa. To this end, effective communication campaigns will help coordinate and mobilise the stakeholders. In this case, the media have a social responsibility to: promote media awareness advocacy campaigns, provide extensive coverage of geothermal energy policy and technology outputs, hold the key national or sub-regional stakeholders to account for the persistent energy crisis amidst abundant geothermal endowments in the region, host talk shows on radio or television to promote awareness, explain the socio-economic or environment gains, and mainstream geothermal issues into regular news coverage. |