The Road to a Clean Energy Future in Africa
Kashim Shettima: Vice President of Nigeria
Carolyn Kweitsh: Deputy President of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet for Africa
Jessica Old: Former CEO of GE Vernova, former CFO of Shell, and member of the Leadership Council of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet.
In Kijuna, a rural community in Nigeria, fishmonger Blessing Petrus used to find only a few precious hours to sell her daily catch of tilapia and catfish from the nearby river before it spoiled under the scorching sun. Despite her efforts to keep her selling prices low, nearly half of her fish spoiled most days.
However, Blessing no longer has to race against time, thanks to a three-ton cold storage room connected to a small solar-powered grid. Now, the sunlight that once spoiled her fish enables her to store them. Blessing is not the only beneficiary; about 100 local fishermen and traders utilize this room. The resulting reduction in food waste has led to an average profit increase of around 30%.
The solar-powered refrigeration unit in Kijuna was built as part of a larger clean energy project that began in 2021, and since then, 6,000 homes and businesses have been connected to solar power across five Nigerian states. As the international community grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, this quiet shift toward clean energy bolstered the resilience and productivity of farmers and other food producers, created jobs, and supported sustainable development in rural communities throughout Nigeria.
This outcome carries an important lesson for today’s world. The rising geopolitical uncertainty has led many wealthy governments to cut foreign aid—which is a devastating blow to global development efforts. As a result, projects are stalled, people lose access to essential services, and many countries increasingly risk a humanitarian crisis. Yet even in this tense backdrop, world leaders gathering this week at the United Nations General Assembly can still find ways to address gradually worsening issues.
One such issue is that nearly 600 million people in sub-Saharan African countries still lack access to electricity. With the youth population in Africa expected to grow by about 138 million over the next quarter-century, this energy crisis could turn into one of employment opportunities. To generate enough good jobs for Africa’s rapidly growing population, we must assist countries across the continent in scaling up access to reliable, affordable clean energy and provide local communities with the tools and training to turn that energy into opportunities.
The good news here is that the path to progress is open—even in a tighter funding environment. Leading the way is the “Mission 300” initiative, which brings together African governments, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations to provide electricity for around 300 million Africans by 2030.
The clean energy project that has benefited Blessing and her community illustrates how these stakeholders can effectively work together. A modest investment from the Nigerian government, along with catalyzing philanthropic capital, was enough to encourage companies to invest in the project. Equally important were regulatory reforms that reduced grid connection costs by up to 40% and shortened timelines for permitting new initiatives, resulting in a series of projects and training programs that will reach hundreds of thousands of Nigerians.
This is not an isolated case. Relatively small investments have made significant advances in clean energy worldwide. The first utility-scale battery storage system in India is expected to deliver reliable clean power to low-income consumers and lead the transition toward grid stability. In Haiti, mesh grids—decentralized networks made up of interconnected solar panels on rooftops—are powering some remote communities and providing a model for last-mile electrification in rural and conflict-affected areas. Similarly, the Tembesi floating solar power plant in Indonesia could serve as a benchmark for expanding energy access in vulnerable coastal economies.
The recently released 2025 Impact Report from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet reveals the common thread behind the success of these projects: a coalition of partners from the public and private sectors and philanthropic organizations united by a common goal. This highlights the importance of adopting a multi-stakeholder approach across the entire system to tackle major challenges. Such a strategy maximizes limited funding, acknowledges diverse viewpoints and experiences, accommodates varying risk tolerances, and empowers all actors to leverage their strengths.
All developing countries and regions face specific energy challenges, but progress is possible when governments, companies, and charitable organizations work together. As climate change worsens, energy crises escalate, and multilateralism declines, global stability will increasingly depend on replicating Blessing’s story many times over—in Africa and beyond. This makes multi-stakeholder partnerships more critical than ever.
