Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has emphasized Africa’s vital role in advancing the global shift to clean energy, highlighting the continent’s vast renewable resources, essential minerals, and youthful population as significant assets for sustainable growth. Speaking at the Leaders’ Summit ahead of the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil, Kindiki noted that Africa remains largely overlooked in international clean energy investment, despite holding the world’s largest renewable energy reserves and critical materials necessary for the green transition. He pointed out that less than 2 percent of global renewable energy investments have been directed to Africa, leaving millions without access to reliable energy.
Kindiki presented Kenya as an example of progress, noting the country’s energy grid is already 93 percent renewable, with a target of reaching 100 percent within four years. He urged world leaders to see Africa as a strategic partner in clean energy rather than an investment risk, calling for substantial reforms in climate financing to ensure developing nations have the resources needed to meet their climate goals. Stressing the need for equitable sharing of the green economy’s benefits, Kindiki called for urgent, inclusive action and insisted that Africa must be central to any global clean energy transition.
Kindiki presented Kenya as an example of progress, noting the country’s energy grid is already 93 percent renewable, with a target of reaching 100 percent within four years. He urged world leaders to see Africa as a strategic partner in clean energy rather than an investment risk, calling for substantial reforms in climate financing to ensure developing nations have the resources needed to meet their climate goals. Stressing the need for equitable sharing of the green economy’s benefits, Kindiki called for urgent, inclusive action and insisted that Africa must be central to any global clean energy transition.
