United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the clean energy transition risks leaving Africa and other developing regions behind unless urgent reforms are made to unlock finance.
Speaking in an op-ed titled “A Moment of Opportunity: Supercharging the Clean Energy Age”, Guterres noted that despite having 60% of the world’s best solar resources, Africa attracted just 2% of global renewables investment last year. He stressed that debt repayments were draining national budgets and preventing countries from investing in their energy futures.
“We need multilateral development banks to expand their lending capacity and crowd in far more private finance,” he said, adding that credit rating agencies and investors must modernise risk assessments to reflect the promise of clean energy, the dangers of stranded fossil assets, and the costs of climate inaction.
Trade as a Catalyst for Energy Transformation
Guterres called for trade policy to be used as a lever for clean energy transformation. With renewable supply chains still heavily concentrated and global trade fragmenting, he urged nations committed to the clean energy era to diversify supply sources, eliminate tariffs on clean energy technologies, and modernise investment treaties to enable cross-border cooperation.
For Ghana and other African economies, such measures could reduce the cost of importing solar technologies and encourage domestic production, driving down energy prices while opening up export opportunities.
Ensuring a Just Transition
A central part of Guterres’s vision is embedding fairness in the energy shift. He emphasised that communities reliant on fossil fuel industries need structured support to prepare for the clean energy future. He also called for reforms in the supply chains of critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium, and manganese, often mined in Africa but exported with little value addition.
“Developing countries must move up the value chain to ensure the clean energy boom translates into jobs and prosperity at home,” he said.
Meeting Rising Energy Demand Sustainably
Guterres stressed that global energy demand, especially from fast-growing industries such as data centres, must be met with renewables. For Africa, where millions still lack electricity, the expansion of solar, wind, and other clean sources offers an opportunity to leapfrog traditional energy systems and power industrial growth sustainably.
Building Modern Energy Systems
He warned that renewable power cannot achieve its full potential without modern grid infrastructure and storage. Today, for every dollar invested in renewable generation, just 60 cents is spent on grids and storage—a ratio that must become one-to-one to ensure efficiency and reliability. For Ghana, where grid congestion and transmission losses remain a challenge, modernising energy infrastructure will be critical to fully benefiting from renewables.
National Commitments to Clean Energy
Finally, the UN Chief called on all governments to make binding commitments to the clean energy future. He highlighted that new national climate plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) must align with the 1.5°C global warming limit and cover all emissions and sectors.
Why It Matters for Africa and Ghana
Guterres’s call resonates strongly for Ghana and the wider continent. Access to affordable clean energy would not only cut reliance on expensive fossil fuel imports but also boost industrial productivity, create jobs, and strengthen energy security. Unlocking finance, reforming trade, and developing local mineral value chains could enable African nations to harness their vast renewable potential while ensuring inclusive economic growth.
“The clean energy era is unstoppable,” Guterres concluded. “But without urgent action, it will not be fast or fair enough. This is our moment to supercharge the shift.”
