South Africa used its G20 presidency to deliver a clear message: Africa’s priorities, particularly energy access, must sit at the centre of global decision-making.
At the Global Citizen NOW summit in Sandton, President Cyril Ramaphosa tied this message to a stark reality: the continent is rich in renewable resources yet remains home to some of the world’s highest levels of energy poverty.
One of the most urgent and often overlooked consequences is the link between energy insecurity and gender-based violence. Without reliable electricity, women and girls face greater risks in unlit communities, clinics struggle to offer services, and households must rely on unsafe energy sources that heighten vulnerability.
The summit made it clear that addressing Africa’s energy gap is not merely a matter of development, it is a matter of safety, dignity and equality.
Speakers stressed that because women bear the brunt of energy poverty, they must be central to energy planning and leadership. Yet the continent’s power structures remain overwhelmingly male, leaving critical gendered perspectives underrepresented in policymaking.
The call from leaders such as Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and minister Maropene Ramokgopa was straightforward: unless women’s safety and empowerment are intentionally embedded in national and continental energy strategies, structural inequality will persist.
Their message coincided with nationwide protests organised by Women for Change, underscoring the growing public demand for accountability and action on gender-based violence.
This context sharpened the significance of Ramaphosa’s declaration of GBVF as a national disaster, a step forward, though far from the finish line. Advocates emphasised that while such recognition is necessary, meaningful progress requires sustained political will and deep institutional reform.
On a continental scale, the commitments secured through Global Citizen’s Scaling Up Renewables in Africa initiative represent one of the largest coordinated pushes toward clean energy Africa has seen. With strong backing from the European Commission, the IEA and African governments, the campaign mobilised significant investment from both the public and private sectors with the goal of quadrupling renewable capacity by 2030.
But the summit also left a clear warning: Africa’s renewable revolution will succeed only through disciplined implementation, strengthened governance and unwavering African leadership. And true leadership must be inclusive. Without women shaping the decisions that determine how energy is produced, distributed and used, the continent risks building a future that repeats the inequalities of the past.
This is the continent’s moment. Its success depends on ensuring that women are not simply beneficiaries of change, but architects of it.
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