Africa Builds the Clean Energy Future

While some world leaders sleep at the wheel waiting until the policy winds change, African leaders are wide awake and taking the future of climate change action into their own hands. Last year, the continent as a whole hit a major milestone, crossing 20 GWp of installed solar photovoltaic capacity and launching the Africa Green Industrialization Initiative backed with $100 billion in financing from African financial Institutions.

We see momentum building across Africa, where countries are developing and deploying the clean energy systems that will power the future of the continent’s growth. The question for the United States is whether we will be a global partner in this work or be left out of the new markets and alliances taking shape.

As the climate crisis worsens, the need for resilient investment and coordinated action becomes more and more critical. At the same time, shrinking national budgets and an expanding list of demands have made this work more challenging. Shifts in the delivery of development and technical assistance have exacerbated uncertainty — compounded by worsening drought, extreme heat, food insecurity, and other crises that put strain on our existing energy infrastructure.

These constraints do not diminish our commitment, but rather cement our resolve to share in the work of overcoming global challenges. As African leaders prepare to convene for the African Union (AU) Summit, members of Congress and leaders across the public and private sectors in the United States must commit to international collaboration to continue advancing climate action and Africa’s green industrialization together.

We can build on existing alliances at the state level, such as the Virginia Africa Partnership that advances economic opportunities and trade missions between the Commonwealth and African regions. Congress increasingly understands that the clean energy transition will succeed only if built on strong, durable partnerships with African nations.

While trade frameworks like the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) still matter, they are not enough on their own. Recent congressional actions, such as the reauthorization of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the conceptualization of new ideas like the Energy Security Compacts initiative, show real momentum for cooperation that can drive economic growth while advancing shared climate goals.

Within the United States, while the federal government pushes for fossil fuels at the expense of its people and our planet, others remain undeterred. Over 300 U.S. Climate Mayors have agreed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, while 24 governors, representing approximately 60 percent of the US economy and 55% of the U.S. population, have reduced net greenhouse gas emissions by 24%. U.S. states like Virginia remain open for clean energy business, powered by the $2.4 billion in clean energy investments for our state and the landmark Virginia Clean Economy Act that I passed as a state legislator in 2020. Our voters told us they want to move forward on clean energy innovation as an engine for economic growth, so we’re investing in solar, offshore wind, and clean energy jobs while meeting growing energy demand.

The United States cannot risk falling behind as the world surges ahead on climate action. African countries themselves are well-positioned to become powerhouses of the modern era, from clean energy, green manufacturing, supply chain capacity, to the booming use of electric vehicles. Sustainable development and eradicating energy poverty go hand-in-hand and cannot be siloed as separate issues.

The AU summit, which brings 55 African countries together to tackle shared climate, energy, and development challenges, serves as a powerful reminder to all of us that multilateralism is alive and working.

People across the U.S. and the African continent have made clear their desire for climate leadership and have stamped with their ballots the unimpeachable fact that we cannot meet the challenge of climate change without global cooperation. If the United States wants a real say in the future, we cannot wait on the sidelines for a future that is built without us.