In a decisive address delivered at the Global Citizen Festival during the United Nations General Assembly, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a €545 million Team Europe package to accelerate Africa’s clean-energy transition. The commitment serves as a pivotal moment in the Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign, co-hosted with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, intended to marshal both public and private capital into renewables, grids and energy access across the continent.
Von der Leyen struck a familiar yet powerful chord:
“The choices Africa makes today are shaping the future of the entire world. A clean energy transition on the continent will create jobs, stability, growth and deliver on our global climate goals.”
Her message underscores that the challenge is not simply one of infrastructure, but of sovereignty, inclusion and long-term value.
The Gap and the Opportunity
Despite vast potential, Africa still lags, nearly 600 million people live without access to electricity. How the continent makes its energy choices in the next decade will directly influence development trajectories, regional security and climate resilience.
Investing in solar, wind, hydro and geothermal is no longer a moral imperative alone it is a strategic bet. According to estimates frequently cited in the sector, scaling renewables could generate up to 38 million green jobs by 2030, while reinforcing resilient supply chains and reducing reliance on volatile fossil fuel imports.
Within the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, this €545 million injection is framed not just as aid but as partnership: building generation capacity, upgrading transmission lines, backing cross-border trade in electricity and forming stable international alliances.
What’s on the Ground: Countries and Projects
The announcement spans multiple countries and project types, each calibrated to local conditions:
- Côte d’Ivoire (≈ €359.4 million): A high-voltage transmission line dubbed Dorsale Est to interconnect regions and elevate regional energy distribution.
- Cameroon (≈ €59.1 million): Rural electrification programmes for 687 communities, potentially reaching over 2.5 million people.
- Republic of the Congo (≈ €3.5 million): Expanding access to solar, wind and hydropower sources.
- Lesotho (≈ €25.9 million): Through the Renewable Lesotho programme, supporting wind and hydro projects.
- Madagascar (≈ €33.2 million): Deployment of mini-grid systems to electrify remote rural areas.
- Mozambique (≈ €13 million): Facilitating a low-emission energy transition, with stronger private sector participation.
- And in other areas: Cameroon, Ghana, Central Africa, Somalia, ranging from technical assistance missions to feasibility studies for cross-border interconnectors.
These allocations reflect a calculated blend: big infrastructure where needed, and targeted, catalytic interventions elsewhere.
Why It Matters for African Entrepreneurship and Innovation
For African entrepreneurs, the shift is not happening to them, it is happening with them. Clean energy offers an expansive canvas:
- New markets in energy provision, storage, off-grid systems, smart metering, microgrids and energy services.
- Opportunities in policy and regulation: navigating feed-in tariffs, power purchase agreements, off-take guarantees and cross-border power pools. (Feed-in tariffs remain one of the primary policy tools for attracting investment in renewables)
- Value chain growth: local manufacturing of panels, batteries, cables, turbines; innovative financing models, O&M (operations and maintenance), data platforms for energy usage.
- Resilience: Businesses no longer crippled by grid unreliability or intermittent supply can scale more confidently.
Entrepreneurs who can operate at the intersection of energy, tech, finance and policy stand to thrive.
A Broader Campaign, a High Stakes Summit
The Scaling Up Renewables in Africa initiative is run in concert with Global Citizen and carries the policy backing of the International Energy Agency. The campaign’s ambition is to mobilise new financial pledges, technical assistance and reform commitments accelerating momentum beyond individual projects.
It is set to culminate in a high-level event around the G20 Summit in Johannesburg on 22–23 November 2025. Meanwhile, in early October, the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels will convene governments, financiers and corporate leaders to cement further support.
This drive aligns with the broader goals set at COP28: tripling renewable capacity globally and doubling energy efficiency. The stakes are immense and Africa lies at the heart of the transformation.
