Addis Ababa, July 22, 2025 (FMC) — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has said Africa holds immense potential to become a global leader in renewable energy, stressing that by 2040, the continent could generate ten times more electricity than it needs entirely from renewables.
Delivering a major address on the global energy transition, Guterres emphasized that renewable energy technologies are already lighting homes, powering schools, and supporting businesses in remote African communities. He pointed to small-scale and off-grid renewable solutions as game-changers for the hundreds of millions of people on the continent still living without access to electricity.
“This is a game-changer for the hundreds of millions of people still living without electricity, most of them in Africa, a continent bursting with renewable potential,” he stated.
The UN Secretary-General also noted that while the world’s energy transition is accelerating, Africa remains underrepresented in global clean energy investment, receiving just 1.5 percent of global renewable power capacity installation as of last year. This disparity, he suggested, must be urgently addressed to ensure a just and inclusive energy future.
“We are already seeing small-scale and off-grid renewable technologies lighting homes and powering schools and businesses in remote areas,” Guterres said, citing countries like Pakistan as examples where consumer-led solar growth is also taking hold.
While the broader speech covered global trends and policy recommendations, Guterres’s remarks on Africa specifically underscored the need to harness the continent’s natural endowments to close energy access gaps and accelerate sustainable development.