YOKOHAMA: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared that Africa possesses all necessary elements to emerge as a renewable energy superpower during his address at a major development conference.
Guterres emphasised the urgent need for increased investment in green energy across the resource-rich continent while speaking at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development.
“We must mobilise finance and technology, so that Africa’s natural wealth benefits African people, we must build a thriving renewables and manufacturing base across the continent,“ Guterres said at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
The UN chief highlighted how renewable energy development in Africa would create multiple benefits for both the continent and global markets.
“Green power in Africa lowers energy costs, diversifies supply chains and accelerates decarbonisation for everyone.”
Guterres delivered his speech against the backdrop of significant shifts in African development financing patterns and growing debt concerns.
China has invested heavily in Africa over the past decade, with its companies there signing deals worth hundreds of billions of dollars to finance shipping ports, railways, roads and other projects under Beijing’s Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative.
The conference occurred as African nations face mounting financial pressures from multiple directions according to recent analyses.
But new lending is drying up, and developing countries are grappling with a “tidal wave” of debt to both China and international private creditors, the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, said in May.
Western aid reductions have further complicated the financial landscape for many African countries according to the UN chief’s assessment.
African countries have also seen Western aid slashed, in particular due to President Donald Trump‘s dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Guterres issued a strong warning about the dangerous impact of excessive debt on development prospects during his Yokohama address.
Guterres warned in his speech in the Japanese port city of Yokohama that “debt must not drown development” and that Africa needed increased concessional finance and greater lending capacity from multilateral development banks.
The UN leader reiterated Africa’s exceptional potential for renewable energy development given its natural resources and geographical advantages.
“Africa has everything it takes to become a renewable superpower, from solar and wind to the critical minerals that power new technology,“ he said.
The conference attracted significant African leadership participation including several heads of state from key nations.
Attendees at TICAD included Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Kenyan President William Ruto.
Kenyan President William Ruto announced progress in clean energy transportation initiatives through social media platforms.
Ruto said on social media platform X that Kenya was in talks with Japanese automaker Toyota for the provision of 5,000 “e-mobility vehicles” as part of the country’s “commitment to clean energy”.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba unveiled several initiatives aimed at strengthening Japan-Africa cooperation during the conference.
In his opening address at the forum on Wednesday, Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced a plan to train 30,000 people in artificial intelligence in Africa over three years and to study the idea of a Japan-Africa Economic Partnership.
The Japanese leader also proposed infrastructure development plans connecting African nations with Indian Ocean partners.
Before the meeting kicked off, Ishiba also announced a vision for a distribution network that links African and Indian Ocean nations.
African leaders expressed their preference for investment-based partnerships rather than traditional aid models during the conference.
Both Tinubu and Ramaphosa, speaking on X, said they wanted a shift from aid to investment partnerships. – AFP
