By Baboloki Semele
Africa, a continent bathed in sunlight and rich in renewable resources, is still grappling with deep energy poverty despite holding over 60 per cent of the world’s solar potential. At the recently concluded High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York, Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), described the situation as a “paradox of potential and neglect.”
Speaking during a session co-hosted by the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO), UN DESA, and UNDP, Gatete emphasized that while global narratives push for energy transition and green innovation, Africa remains stranded at the starting line. “Africa isn’t just asking for help, it’s offering answers,” he asserted. “Energy isn’t just a public good. It’s a driver of jobs, industry, and transformation.”
Despite the global shift toward clean energy, Africa attracts less than 3 per cent of total global energy investment. Over 600 million people across the continent still lack access to electricity. In rural areas, children study by candlelight or kerosene lamps, health clinics struggle without reliable power, and local economies are held back by unreliable or non-existent energy infrastructure. As demand rises due to rapid urbanization and population growth, the investment gap grows wider. This energy access crisis was a central focus during the Africa Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) High-Level Technical Meeting held weeks earlier in Addis Ababa, where African leaders, regulators, and development partners reaffirmed commitments to build a harmonized, interconnected, and efficient power market across the continent. AfSEM, touted as the world’s largest electricity market project, aims to consolidate energy generation, transmission, and trade across borders, laying the groundwork for an Africa powered by Africans.
At both forums; the AfSEM meeting and the HLPF the message was clear: without massive investment and regulatory reform, Africa’s vast potential will remain unrealized. Key frameworks such as the Continental Power Systems Master Plan (CMP), Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), and Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) were cited as foundational instruments, yet they require political will and financial backing to come alive.
Mr. Gatete called on global partners to support development of regional power pools, localized manufacturing of clean energy technologies, and reforms that de-risk private sector participation. “We need a new deal on energy finance one that supports innovation, strengthens grids, and builds clean energy industries that work for both people and planet,” he said.
The ECA is already working with Member States to develop integrated energy plans, improve cross-border energy trade, and harmonize energy policy. The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) has also played a crucial role in mapping infrastructure gaps and coordinating implementation strategies under Agenda 2063.
As preparations begin for COP30 in Belém, Brazil later this year, Africa’s leaders are expected to amplify their call for a just energy transition. Unlike developed economies shifting away from fossil fuels, Africa’s challenge is two-fold: to first escape energy poverty while simultaneously leapfrogging to clean and sustainable alternatives. That journey, stakeholders argue, must be met with a level of urgency and international solidarity that matches the continent’s ambition. The upcoming Summit of the Future and COP30 will serve as critical platforms for advancing Africa’s voice in the global climate and energy dialogue. “This is not charity it’s investment in resilience, in sustainability, in human dignity,” Gatete concluded at the HLPF. “Africa must not be left behind in the race toward a clean energy future.”
As the HLPF continues and COP30 approaches, the question remains whether the global community will finally match Africa’s energy promise with the political and financial commitment it deserves.