Global Citizen, the world’s largest movement to end extreme poverty, convened government leaders, investors, philanthropies, and grassroots advocates in Johannesburg for the first Global Citizen NOW summit on African soil. The event marked the culmination of the year-long Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign and spotlighted new commitments to expand infrastructure, create jobs, and accelerate the continent’s clean energy transition.
New pledges announced at the summit will expand electricity access to over 17.5 million homes and deliver 26.8 GW of renewable energy across Africa by 2030.
The 12-month campaign, created in partnership with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and supported by the International Energy Agency (IEA), helped secure pledges contributing to quadrupling Africa’s renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Private sector commitments included:
Harith General Partners: Expanding energy investments from 1.5 GW to 5 GW in five years, potentially powering 830,000 homes.
Octopus Energy Generation: Increasing its Power Africa fund to $450 million, unlocking clean energy for 1.1 million people.
CrossBoundary Energy: Secured $200 million toward a $1B pipeline of solar, wind, and battery projects.
ENERTRAG: Delivering 1.2 GW of grid-secure renewable power in South Africa from 2026, serving up to 2.8 million people.
Scatec: Scaling to 10 GW globally, with 4.4 GW of new solar and 1.3 GW of battery storage already secured, creating 10,000+ jobs.
Sun King: Deploying 50 million new off-grid solar systems by 2030 for 200 million people, including 200,000 households and small businesses in South Africa.
Additional campaign commitments included Globeleq’s pledge of 1.3 GW across key markets, Energea’s $250 million investment, Pele Energy Group’s plan to expand to 10 GW over the decade, TransEnergy Global’s 1 GW solar commitment, and Genesis Energy’s plan to deploy 10 GW of renewable energy in the next 5–10 years.
Team Europe announced €13 billion in grants, loans, guarantees, and equity, plus €2.1 billion in additional private-sector leverage from contributors including the EIB, EBRD, and member states such as Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, and Ireland. This represents one of the most significant collective efforts toward Africa’s clean energy expansion.
The African Development Bank pledged to direct at least 20% of its African Development Fund replenishment to renewables.
Norway committed NOK 3.1 billion (approx. $61 million) to renewable initiatives.
The Development Bank of Southern Africa committed to supporting an additional 3 GW.
Zambia unveiled targets under its Green City and Urban Solar programs to deliver 211 MW, create nearly 4,000 jobs, and benefit 2.4 million people.
The summit also spotlighted the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, aligning with its 8th replenishment, which mobilized $11.34 billion and has saved 70 million lives since 2002.
Ursula von der Leyen said:
“Today, the world has stepped up for Africa. With €15.5 billion, we are turbocharging Africa’s clean-energy transition… This investment is a surge of opportunity: thriving markets, new jobs, and reliable, clean energy.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized Africa’s energy paradox:
“We have abundant renewable resources, yet 40% of our population lacks electricity… Through decisive action and global solidarity, we can accelerate Africa’s clean-energy revolution.”
Hugh Evans, Global Citizen’s Co-Founder and CEO, added:
“The commitments secured will double Africa’s current renewable capacity. Global citizens have taken 1.4 million actions to demand this progress—now it must translate into real power for homes, clinics, schools, and businesses.”
The summit hosted a distinguished lineup, including President Ramaphosa, Ursula von der Leyen, President Hakainde Hichilema, Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Sipho Makhubela, Sabrina Dhowre Elba, Pearl Thusi, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Nomzamo Mbatha, and many more across government, business, and civil society.
Global Citizen and PayPal celebrated the inaugural winners of the Small Business Impact Awards, honoring innovators from India, Sweden, South Africa, the U.S., and Argentina who are advancing sustainability, social inclusion, and climate resilience.
Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg was presented by Global Citizen with Harith General Partners, alongside major partners Octopus Energy, Pele Energy Group, TransEnergy Global, Genesis Energy, and PayPal. Media partners included EIB Network, TimesLIVE, and Vanguard Media.
This was the first edition of the summit in Africa, following previous gatherings in New York City, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Detroit, Belém, and Seville.
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