NEWS

Major private sector players have announced billions in new investment to accelerate Africa’s clean energy transition, unveiling ambitious commitments at the Global Citizen Scaling Up Renewables in Africa event on 21st November.

The pledging session, led by Sabrina Dhowre Elba -- activist, CEO and chair of the Global Citizen Europe Board -- set an energetic tone, as she highlighted the momentum already created by governments in earlier sessions. She underscored the urgent need for private sector leadership to match that ambition.

“In addition to governments, the private sector is going to be absolutely central to driving Africa's clean energy transition and ending extreme poverty in our lifetime. And in today's global geopolitical climate, we can no longer rely only on official development assistance or traditional foreign aid. The world has changed, our challenges have grown more complex, and the scale of the opportunity has grown with them. That's why we need new, ambitious investors. We need cross sector collaborations,” she said. 

Elba said the world now needs bold, innovative partnerships that can act with urgency and deliver impact at scale because when it comes to energy access and climate resilience, slow, incremental progress is no longer sufficient. 

She added that many of the global organizations represented in the room remain some of the most powerful multinational actors and when their innovation and financial strength combine with the entrepreneurial dynamism of Africa’s markets, the result is transformative. It opens the door to new projects and new possibilities.

“We create jobs, we accelerate access to affordable clean electricity for millions of people, powering homes, powering businesses and powering the next generation of African growth,” she said. 

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