ACCRA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) — John Abdulai Jinapor, Ghana’s minister of energy and green transition, on Tuesday called for purposeful investments in energy across Africa to end the continent’s energy poverty.
Jinapor said at the two-day Future of Energy Conference 2025 that with more than 600 million Africans still without electricity and over a billion relying on biomass for cooking, there is a pressing need for urgent energy investments in Africa.
“Energy poverty not only constrains growth but also perpetuates inequality. We must, therefore, make our energy sectors sustainable — not as an option, but as an imperative for Africa to drive inclusive growth and secure its rightful place in the global economy,” the minister said.
Jinapor stressed that Africa’s future development hinges on industrialization, making energy security essential. He urged the continent to mobilize competitive and sustainable financing mechanisms for the energy sector.
He also called for de-risking energy investments through sovereign guarantees, predictable policies, and transparent regulations, while accelerating innovation and research, particularly in clean technologies tailored to Africa’s needs.
The minister emphasized the need for strong cooperation between the public and private sectors, with each leveraging the strengths of the other for the benefit of the continent.
On energy transition, Jinapor noted that unlike the developed countries, Africa is still struggling to meet the basic needs of its people, calling for a just energy transition for Africa. “Our transition must be carefully calibrated to ensure that clean energy pathways do not undermine energy affordability, industrial growth, or jobs,” he added.
Highlighting the importance of regional value chain development supported by initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area, Jinapor said local processing of critical minerals, local manufacturing of clean energy technologies, and skills development must be integrated into the transition.
The conference, which began on Tuesday under the theme “Financing Africa’s Energy Future: Unlocking Investments for Energy Access and Economic Transformation,” is an initiative of the Africa Center for Energy Policy, a Ghana-based continent-wide think tank on energy sector governance.
