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As South Africa continues its historic G20 Presidency, the global spotlight turns to a question that will define the continent’s future for generations: How can Africa transition to clean energy in a way that is just, equitable, and sovereign?
The energy transition is not simply about replacing coal with solar panels, it is about restructuring economies, reimagining development, and reclaiming power in a world shifting towards sustainability. With Africa at the center of the global climate crisis, and simultaneously home to the minerals essential for the green revolution, the stakes could not be higher.
The phrase “just transition” is often used in global climate conversations, but its meaning differs dramatically depending on where you stand.
For Africa, a just transition must be practical, not rhetorical. It means:
Energy access before emissions reduction: Over half of Africans still lack electricity. Transition cannot mean darkness.
Local jobs over imported technology: If solar panels, turbines, and batteries are all imported, the transition becomes another form of dependency.
Industrialisation, not deindustrialisation: Africa must avoid a transition that closes industries before new green ones emerge.
Security, not fragility: Many African countries rely on coal, oil, and gas revenue. Moving too fast without financial safety nets would collapse national budgets.
A just transition for Africa is not charity, it is the only path toward sustainable development.
Africa needs investment, an estimated $2.8 trillion by 2030 for climate adaptation and mitigation. But financing must not repeat the old patterns of exploitation:
The risk:
Loans disguised as climate finance → new debt traps
Green investments tied to foreign control → new colonialism
Mining of critical minerals without processing → lost value
The opportunity:
Africa can negotiate from a position of strength:
Africa holds over 30% of the world’s critical minerals (cobalt, graphite, manganese, platinum).
Africa has the world’s largest renewable potential, solar, wind, and green hydrogen.
Africa’s young population is the future workforce for green industries.
To protect sovereignty, Africa must insist on:
Value addition in Africa (local batteries, local refining, local manufacturing)
Transparent contracts
Equitable profit-sharing
Climate finance tied to development, not conditionality
The JETP, initially a $8.5 billion pledge from the EU, UK, US, and others—was hailed as a global pilot for fair climate financing. But it has revealed crucial lessons:
Lesson 1: Loans ≠ Justice
Most JETP funds were offered as loans, not grants. For Africa, debt-based climate finance is unsustainable.
Lesson 2: Transition Must Match Local Capacity
Closing coal plants before ensuring renewable capacity risks electricity shortages and economic contraction.
Lesson 3: Communities Must Be Centered
Miners, local workers, and municipalities were not adequately consulted, leading to mistrust.
Lesson 4: Africa Needs Real Partnerships, Not Experiments
If JETP is the template for Africa, the G20 must re-evaluate how “just” its financing models truly are.
As South Africa leads the G20 under the theme Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability, the philosophy of Ubuntu offers an alternative lens for global climate governance.
Ubuntu teaches that:
Our wellbeing is interconnected
Progress cannot be built on the suffering of others
Justice is relational, not transactional
Applied to climate action, Ubuntu demands:
Fairness in resource extraction
Reciprocity in climate commitments
Solidarity with vulnerable communities
Shared responsibility in financing the transition
In a world dominated by profit-driven systems, Ubuntu reminds us that the transition must uplift people—not just balance carbon numbers.
Africa has never been more strategically positioned in global energy politics:
It is the heart of the critical minerals revolution
It is the next frontier for renewable energy investment
It is the largest emerging youth workforce
It is the continent most affected by climate impacts
But opportunity does not guarantee outcomes.
Without coordination, Africa risks becoming the raw-material supplier of the green transition—just as it was for the fossil fuel economy.
With unity, Africa can leverage its minerals, its markets, and its moral authority to demand a fair energy future.
The question “Who pays for global justice?” is not theoretical. Every decision made at the G20 will impact:
African households
African workers
African industries
African futures
Africa must enter the energy transition as a leader, not a laboratory.
As a negotiator, not a neutral observer. As a sovereign actor, not a resource basin.
The transition must be just, not just green.
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