South Africa – which currently holds the G20 Presidency – is advocating for a G20 action agenda focused on prioritizing affordable and inclusive energy systems. During the Global Energy Leaders Forum, held at the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025 pre-conference this week, the nation presented its 10-year infrastructure plan, highlighting the need for a multi-resource approach to advance energy security across the continent. 

The 10-year infrastructure plan outlines several key objectives, including continental integration, energy security, optimizing resources and costs, subsidiarity and political support, as well as private sector participation. The plan further identifies 19 projects currently in advanced stages that require $19 billion to complete; five projects with completed feasibility studies that require additional investment; and 28 projects which either have no preparation support or are still at early stages of development. This highlights a unique opportunity for global investors while showcasing the level of opportunity available in Africa.

Hosted in partnership with the African Energy Chamber, International Energy Forum (IEF) and S&P Global Commodity Insights, the forum offered a platform for G20 nations to explore actionable pathways for global collaboration and investment in Africa’s energy sector. The forum further focused on ways that Africa and its G20 partners can achieve the dual goal of driving inclusive energy transition while simultaneously alleviating energy poverty.

With African energy demand projected to increase four-fold by 2040, there is a critical need to boost investments throughout the entire energy value chain across the continent. Eradicating energy poverty should not only be a continental goal, but a global one. As such, the forum identified several key priorities: investing in cross-border infrastructure, harnessing every available energy resource across Africa, and improving access to financing. South Africa’s G20 Presidency presents a strategic opportunity to advance this African agenda.

Global partners are increasingly emerging as strong allies for Africa. The UAE, for example, is advocating for the Global Energy Efficiency Alliance (GEEA) – a platform designed to transform global energy pledges into actionable projects and investments. Rather than replacing existing alliances, GEEA seeks to complement them by focusing on turning energy commitments into action. It is government-backed, implementation driven and inclusive, created by government for government. So far, at least 40 countries have expressed serious interest in joining GEEA.

China is also strengthening its collaboration with African nations, building on its strong presence across the continent’s infrastructure sector as it now explores opportunities in green energy. During the forum, it was highlighted that the China-Africa Development Fund aims to invest up to $5 billion across Africa’s green industrial sector, focusing not only on large-scale and grid-connected projects, but also small-scale and off-grid opportunities. While this investment marks a critical step towards improving energy access, the forum underscored the need to further improve access to financing across the energy value chain, with innovative capital raising and stronger global ties emerging as key solutions.

With investment opportunities spanning the entire energy value chain, AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025 and the Global Energy Leaders Forum served as critical platforms for redefining Africa’s energy trajectory. By outlining both investment opportunities and challenges, the forum reinforced Africa’s position as a global energy frontier and emphasized the importance of international collaboration to achieve sustainable growth.