- UN Chief António Guterres called for increased finance and technology investment to turn Africa into a renewable superpower.
- He warned that debt must not derail development, while Japan pledged AI training, clean energy support, and new investment partnerships with African nations.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres declared on Thursday, August 21, that Africa has all it takes to become a “renewable superpower,” urging stronger investment in green energy across the continent.
Guterres delivered the message at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), a three-day development summit where Japan positioned itself as an alternative partner to China. The conference comes as African nations face a worsening debt crisis, compounded by shrinking Western aid, conflicts, and climate change.
“We must mobilise finance and technology so that Africa’s natural wealth benefits its people. We must build a thriving global renewables and manufacturing base,” Guterres said. “Green power in Africa lowers energy costs, diversifies supply chains, and accelerates global decarbonisation.”
China has dominated African infrastructure investment for over a decade, financing ports, railways, roads, and other projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars under its Belt and Road Initiative. However, new Chinese lending is slowing, burdening developing nations with heavy debts to China and private international creditors.
Guterres warned that “debt must not drown development” and called for increased concessional finance and stronger lending capacity from multilateral development banks. He also pressed for scaled-up investment in climate solutions, pointing to Africa’s vast solar, wind, and mineral resources.
The summit drew several African leaders, including Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Kenyan President William Ruto. Ruto announced via X that Kenya is in talks with Japanese automaker Toyota to deliver 5,000 e-mobility vehicles as part of the country’s clean energy push.
Japan also unveiled new commitments to Africa. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pledged to train 30,000 Africans in artificial intelligence over three years and explore a Japan-Africa Economic Partnership. Ahead of the summit, Ishiba revealed plans for a distribution network linking African and Indian Ocean nations.
Binubu and Ramaphosa echoed calls for Africa to transform from an aid-dependent continent to one driven by sustainable investment and partnerships.