By Zenoyise John:
In a historic step for Africa’s clean energy future, Global Citizen convened government leaders, investors, philanthropists, and grassroots advocates in Johannesburg for the first-ever Global Citizen NOW summit on the continent. The event marked the culmination of a year-long campaign, Scaling
Up Renewables in Africa, aimed at expanding electricity access and driving sustainable development across the region.
The summit unveiled ambitious commitments to power more than 17.5 million homes and deliver 26.8 gigawatts of renewable energy across Africa by 2030, a move expected to quadruple the continent’s renewable capacity. Leading the announcements, Harith General Partners pledged to increase their energy investment from 1.5 gigawatts to 5 gigawatts over the next five years, potentially powering 830,000 homes. Octopus Energy Generation committed an additional $200 million to renewable projects, generating around 180 megawatts of energy for 1.1 million people.
Other major private sector pledges came from CrossBoundary Energy, ENERTRAG, Scatec, Sun King, Pele Energy Group, and TransEnergy Global, collectively poised to transform energy access for millions across the continent.
On the public sector side, Team Europe unveiled €13 billion in grants, loans, guarantees, and equity, alongside €2.1 billion in anticipated private-sector leverage. Contributing institutions included the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and member states such as Italy, Germany, and Ireland. The African Development Bank committed to allocating at least 20 per cent of its 17th replenishment resources to renewable energy, while Norway and the Development Bank of Southern Africa made significant complementary investments.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasised the transformative potential of the initiative, saying, “Millions more people could gain access to electricity; real, life-changing power for families, for businesses, for entire communities.” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted Africa’s untapped renewable resources, noting that around 40 per cent of the population still lacks electricity access.
Adding a human and advocacy perspective, Nomzamo Mbatha, actress, humanitarian, and Global Citizen Ambassador, underscored the importance of youth engagement and public activism in driving Africa’s energy transition. Mbatha highlighted how access to reliable electricity transforms education, healthcare, and economic opportunity, bringing tangible benefits to millions of families.
The summit also coincided with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria’s 8th replenishment, which raised $11.34 billion to save lives in low- and middle-income countries. The event recognised innovative entrepreneurs through the inaugural Global Citizen and PayPal Small Business Impact Awards, honouring those developing sustainable solutions in energy, health, and technology across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Hugh Evans, Co-Founder and CEO of Global Citizen, reflected on the impact of citizen advocacy over the past year, noting that 1.4 million global citizens had urged leaders to invest in renewable energy. He said the pledges announced at the summit would double Africa’s current renewable capacity, delivering power to schools, clinics, businesses, and homes.
Hosted in partnership with Harith General Partners and supported by Octopus Energy, Pele Energy Group, TransEnergy Global, Genesis Energy, and PayPal, Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg demonstrated the power of collaboration between governments, businesses, and civil society in driving Africa’s clean energy revolution. @NewsSA_Online
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