Africa (Commonwealth Union) _ Africa can be a global renewable energy champion if it can attract more investment and technical support, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday. Speaking at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), Guterres termed Africa as a “renewable superpower in the making,” urging policymakers and investors to back the continent’s transition to green energy.
We must use finance and technology in a way that Africa’s natural resources benefit African people. We must build a rich renewables and manufacturing base on the continent,” Guterres told the conference attendees at the three-day forum in Yokohama, Japan. “Green energy in Africa lowers the cost of energy, diversifies supply chains and accelerates decarbonization for everyone.”.
The plea comes at a time when African nations are struggling with mounting debt, decreasing Western aid, and the impacts of war and climate change. China has been the leader in Africa’s infrastructure lending for the last several years through its Belt and Road Initiative, but fresh lending is decelerating, with governments struggling to meet repayments. A May report by Australia’s Lowy Institute described the trend as a “tidal wave” of debt which is weighing heavily on developing countries.
Guterres warned that “debt should not swamp development” and urged multilateral development banks to raise concessional lending and support more climate-focused projects. He argued that Africa’s abundant solar, wind, and mineral resources could not only power the continent but also fund decarbonization globally.
The TICAD conference was also joined by African leaders like Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Kenyan President William Ruto. Both Tinubu and Ramaphosa emphasized the need to shift from traditional aid patterns to long-term partnership-based investments.
Ruto disclosed that Kenya is in talks with Toyota for the supply of 5,000 electric vehicles to support Kenya’s clean energy initiative. Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, during an inauguration of the forum, unveiled a three-year plan to train 30,000 Africans in artificial intelligence and to seek the creation of a Japan-Africa Economic Partnership structure. Ishiba also presented a vision for a new network of distribution between Indian Ocean and African nations.
Since Africa’s population is likely to double by 2050 and the need for energy grows, the TICAD leaders agreed that investing in renewable energy would unleash economic and environmental opportunities, putting Africa on the cutting edge of the global clean energy transition.
