United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that Africa and other developing regions risk being left behind in the global transition to clean energy unless sweeping financial and trade reforms are enacted.
In an op-ed published on 23 July 2025, Guterres stressed that despite holding 60% of the world’s most promising solar resources, Africa secured just 2% of global renewable energy investments in 2024. He said crippling debt obligations are diverting vital funds away from energy infrastructure, stalling progress on the continent.
“Multilateral banks must expand lending capacity to mobilize private finance,” Guterres urged, calling for overhauls in how risk is assessed so that clean energy potential and the declining value of fossil assets are factored into investment decisions. He also highlighted trade policy as a critical lever, urging the removal of tariffs on clean energy technologies, the diversification of supply chains, and the modernization of investment treaties to facilitate regional collaboration. For Ghana, he noted, such reforms could drive down solar import costs and accelerate local manufacturing.
Guterres further called for a “just transition” that safeguards communities reliant on fossil fuel industries while enabling African nations to capture more economic value from their abundant cobalt and lithium reserves. “African nations must ascend the value chain for cobalt and lithium to capture local jobs,” he stressed.
He also highlighted the challenge of rising energy demand, particularly from the expansion of data centers, which must be met through renewable energy. Guterres said this requires simultaneous investments in modern power grids and energy storage, noting that only 60 cents is currently spent on infrastructure for every dollar invested in renewable generation — a ratio he argued must reach parity to ensure stability.
“The clean energy era is unstoppable,” Guterres concluded, “but without action, it won’t be fast or fair.”
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