GLOBAL CITIZEN NOW: JOHANNESBURG CONCLUDES CAMPAIGN SET TO POWER 26.8 GIGAWATTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN AFRICA BY 2030

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, GOVERNMENTS AND MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS UNVEIL €15.5 BILLION IN RENEWABLE ENERGY SUPPORT FOR AFRICA

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, November 24, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On Friday, 21 November, Global Citizen, the world’s largest movement to end extreme poverty, convened government leaders, private sector investors, philanthropies, and grassroots advocates in Johannesburg for the first-ever edition of the Global Citizen NOW action summit on the African continent. Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg marked the culmination of the year-long campaign to Scale Up Renewables in Africa, and highlighted new commitments to build infrastructure, create jobs and advance Africa’s clean energy future. The summit saw the announcement of new projects that will expand electricity access to power over 17.5 million homes and deliver 26.8 gigawatts of clean energy across the continent by 2030.

Global Citizen’s 12 month Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign, in partnership with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, with support from the International Energy Agency (IEA), secured pledges that will contribute to quadrupling Africa’s renewable energy capacity by 2030.

During Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg, Harith General Partners announced they will scale up their energy investment in Africa from 1.5 gigawatts to 5 gigawatts over the next five years, which has the potential to power 830,000 homes. Octopus Energy Generation, through its $250 million Power Africa fund, announced plans to unlock an additional $200 million for renewable projects, bringing their total investment to $450 million and generating around 180 megawatts of clean energy for 1.1 million people.

Other private sector commitments included CrossBoundary Energy, who announced they had secured $200 million towards their goal of a $1 billion pipeline of renewable projects by 2030, spanning solar, wind, and battery storage. ENERTRAG announced its plan to deliver 1.2 gigawatts of grid-secure renewable power in South Africa from 2026, enough to supply over 800,000 homes and benefit up to 2.8 million people. Scatec announced plans to expand renewable energy globally to 10 gigawatts, already having secured 4.4 gigawatts of new solar capacity and 1.3 gigawatts of battery storage – enough to power nearly 1 million homes and create at least 10,000 jobs. Sun King committed to deploying 50 million new off-grid solar systems by 2030, bringing clean electricity to 200 million people, including 200,000 additional households and small businesses in South Africa.

Additional commitments announced earlier in the Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign included Globeleq’s pledge to deliver 1.3 gigawatts of new, clean power across key markets, spanning solar, wind, and other renewable technologies, reaching an estimated 6 million residential users, alongside Energea’s $250 million investment toward renewables on the continent. Pele Energy Group announced plans to expand capacity from 10 gigawatts over the next decade to provide renewable energy to 3.1 million homes, and TransEnergy Global committed to 1 gigawatts of solar capacity to provide renewable energy access to 550,000 households. Lastly, Genesis Energy spoke about their continued plans to develop and deploy 10 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy across Africa in the next 5 to 10 years.

Team Europe announced €13 billion in grants, loans, guarantees, and equity, alongside €2.1 billion in anticipated private sector leverage, with the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and member states like Italy, Germany, the Netherlands including FMO, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, and Ireland, among the contributors. Together, these commitments represent one of the most substantial collective efforts ever to contribute to Africa’s clean energy future, scaling regional and distributed renewable power, and expanding affordable energy access across the continent.

The African Development Bank pledged to allocate at least 20 percent of all African Development Fund 17th replenishment resources to renewable energy. Norway committed NOK 3.1 billion, of which approximately $61 million will go toward renewable energy. Additional commitments included the Development Bank of Southern Africa with ambition to provide an additional 3 gigawatts, and Zambia announced significant targets towards their Green City and Urban Solar initiatives, which together will deliver 211 megawatts of renewable energy, create nearly 4,000 jobs and impact 2.4 million people.

Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg also featured leading champions for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the world’s largest funder of health programs in low and middle income countries. With the Global Fund’s 8th replenishment taking place simultaneously to the summit, which mobilized $11.34 billion, speakers at Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg shone a spotlight on the organization’s impact, which has saved 70 million lives since 2002.
“Today, the world has stepped up for Africa. With €15.5 billion, we are turbocharging Africa's clean-energy transition. Millions more people could gain access to electricity; real, life-changing power for families, for businesses, for entire communities,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. “This investment is a surge of opportunity: thriving markets, new jobs, and reliable, clean energy that meets the needs of partners across the globe President Ramaphosa and I both look forward to a clean-energy future for the continent. A future led by Africa, with strong support from its friend and partner, Europe."

“Africa represents the ultimate energy paradox. We have some of the world’s most abundant renewable energy resources: solar, wind and hydro. Yet some 40 percent of Africa’s population has no access to electricity,” said H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa. “This energy poverty impacts nearly every facet of life, from clean cooking to access to medicines, to quality education, to economic activity. The Scaling up Renewables in Africa initiative was born of the need to expand energy access across the continent. We support an energy-secure future for Africa that harnesses the human and technological potential of the continent. Africa’s vast potential must be harnessed for the benefit of its people and the world. Through decisive action and global solidarity, we can accelerate Africa’s clean energy revolution and create enduring opportunities for all our people.”

“At Harith, our investment is ultimately about people. Through our partnerships, we are ensuring that African economies have the energy they need to industrialize, that businesses can grow and that young people, the driving force of this continent, can access the opportunities they deserve,” Sipho Makhubela, Chief Executive Officer, of Harith General Partners. “Africa does not lack ambition, it needs catalytic capital and bold leadership. If we all step forward with purpose, we can transform energy access for a generation. We are proud to join governments, partners and fellow private - sector leaders in accelerating Africa’s clean - energy access.”

“Africa’s renewable energy future is one of the greatest opportunities of our generation. With vast solar, wind and hydro resources and a young, dynamic population ready to lead, the continent’s potential is unparallelled,” said Hugh Evans, Co-Founder & CEO of Global Citizen. “Over the past year, global citizens have taken 1.4 million actions urging leaders to invest in scaling up renewable energy, and have helped secure commitments that will bring clean energy to 17.5 million households. The 26.8 gigawatts of renewable energy pledged through this campaign will double Africa’s current renewable capacity. And the €15.5 billion pledged advances Africa one-sixth of the way toward the investments needed to meet its energy and climate goals by 2030. Now, we have the chance to turn this momentum into real, sustainable power for schools, clinics, businesses, and homes across Africa.”

Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg also focused on global health security, building climate resilience, and promoting themes of solidarity, equality, and sustainability ahead of the G20 meetings. The summit featured distinguished speakers including H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa; Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia; Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Prime Minister of Ireland; Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway; Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former UN Under-Secretary-General and Deputy President of South Africa; and Sipho Makhubela, Chief Executive Officer, Harith General Partners.

Additional participants included Nomzamo Mbatha, actress, humanitarian, and Global Citizen Ambassador, Dr Wale Aboyade, Global Vice President, Public Policy & Government Relations, Sun King; Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Singer-Songwriter, Entrepreneur, and Humanitarian; Sherwin Charles, CEO and Co-Founder of Goodbye Malaria; Dr. Enos Banda, CEO, Enertrag South Africa; Sabrina Dhowre Elba, Global Citizen Europe Board Chair; ; Matsi Modise, Founder and CEO of Furaha; Lady Roslyn Morauta, Board Chair, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Alexio Musindo, ILO Director for South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini and Lesotho; Mzansi Youth Choir; Siv Ngesi, Actor, Comedian, and Producer; Dr. Sibulele Sibaca-Nomnganga, Global Health Advocate and Social Change Engineer; Zoisa North-Bond, CEO, Octopus Energy Generation; Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, President, African Development Bank Group; Gqi Raoleka, CEO and Co-Founder of Pele Energy Group; Melissa Sikwila, Executive Vice President, Development & Investment, Genesis Energy; Pearl Thusi, Actress, DJ, and Entrepreneur; Duncan Ward, Co-founder and Managing Director, TransEnergy Global, Jito Kayumba, Special Advisor to Zambian President on Finance and Investment, and more.

The recently announced winners of the Global Citizen and PayPal Small Business Impact Awards were honored as part of the summit. The inaugural grantees included Kunjpreet Arora, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Angirus, based in India, who develops sustainable alternatives to traditional construction materials; Filip Lundin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sopköket AB, based in Sweden, who is tackling food waste, hunger, and social exclusion; Zizipho Ntobongwana, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sheba Feminine, based in South Africa, who creates sustainable and inclusive period products; Somnath Ray, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CLIP, based in the U.S., who is democratizing access to e-bike functionality; and Franco Rodriguez Viau, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Satellites on Fire, based in Argentina, who has leveraged artificial intelligence to create an early wildfire alert system. On a panel moderated by Otto Williams, Senior Vice President, Regional Head and General Manager of PayPal Middle East & Africa, these grantees discussed their entrepreneurial journeys and how they are reimagining what is possible when innovation meets purpose.

Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg was hosted by Global Citizen, with presenting partner Harith General Partners, with major partners Octopus Energy, Pele Energy Group, Transenergy Global, and supported by Genesis Energy, and PayPal.

Global Citizen is grateful for the support of leading media companies including: EIB Network, TimesLIVE and Vanguard Media.

This is the first edition of Global Citizen NOW to take place in Africa, continuing the international expansion of the summit series, which has convened global leaders in New York City, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Detroit, Belém, and Seville to drive action to end extreme poverty around the world.

-ENDS-

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View and download photos here. Credit: Getty Images for Global Citizen

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