May 25 every year is marked as Africa Day, a day of celebration of African identity, resilience, and progress. It is a day to reflect on the continent’s achievements, address ongoing challenges, and foster unity and pride among Africans globally.
One of the biggest challenges facing Africa today 62 years after the Organisation of Africa Union now African Union was formed apart from historical injustices, including the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, and the ongoing legacies of exploitation, is energy poverty and climate injustice.
Africa is rich in sunlight, wind, and potential. Yet over 600 million people still live without electricity. Our energy systems were never built to serve the people of Africa, they were built to extract, export, and enrich the few. It is shaped by debt, foreign control, and fossil fuel dependency.
Today, this continues. Whether it’s oil and gas for export, or expensive solar projects owned by corporations, our energy is still privatised and controlled by profit-driven companies centralised and disconnected from communities.
On Africa Day 2025, African leaders are called to prioritise unity and pan-African cooperation in addressing the continent’s pressing challenges, especially climate change, energy poverty and food insecurity. African Leaders must invest in clean energy, and youth empowerment to unlock Africa’s vast human and natural potential. It is time to shift from dependency to resilience by supporting local industries, promoting innovation, and ensuring environmental stewardship. Good governance, accountability, and inclusive policies are essential to foster trust and prosperity across nations.
As African citizens, we must raise their voices to demand access to clean energy and transparency from their leaders. Clean energy is essential not only for powering homes and livelihoods but also for reducing pollution, improving health, and unlocking economic opportunities. Silence allows inequality and environmental degradation to persist, but collective action can drive real change. When citizens speak out, they hold governments and corporations accountable, ensuring that Africa’s energy future is just, inclusive, and sustainable.
Let us call for Repower Africa through renewables and fight for the following;
- Energy access for all, not just the wealthy
- Debt cancellation to fund real, public solutions
- Public funding for renewable energy
- Reparations for centuries of extraction and underdevelopment
- Bold political will from African leaders to break from colonial energy models
Africa must speak with one voice on the global stage, demanding climate justice, fair trade, and reparations for historical exploitation. Let Africa rise with dignity, strength, and a shared vision for a just and sustainable future.
By Dr Michael Terungwa David, Executive Director, GIFSEP