Von der Leyen champions €150bn EU plan for African renewables at UNGA side event.
In New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen joined African business leaders at the Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions to discuss the future of renewable energy in Africa.
Von der Leyen reminded the audience that 600 million people across Africa still lack access to electricity, calling this not only a technological issue but “a question of human dignity.” She stressed that fossil fuels cannot be the solution, warning they would worsen desertification, extreme weather, and migration pressures. Instead, she highlighted Africa’s “abundant resources of sun, wind, and hydropower,” arguing that the missing piece is investment and infrastructure.
The EU President pointed to the Global Gateway investment program, under which Brussels has pledged €300 billion worldwide, with €150 billion earmarked for Africa. Much of this funding will target renewable energy projects. She urged world leaders and the private sector to provide financing, de-risk investments, and build regulatory frameworks, saying: “It is the perfect business case if we join forces.”
Sharing the stage with von der Leyen was Gqi Raoleka (known as GQ), CEO of Pele Energy Group, a Johannesburg-based renewable energy firm. Qoloba recounted how five young South Africans built the company into one of the continent’s largest independent power producers, today managing nearly four gigawatts of solar and wind energy projects.
He announced a major new pledge: 10 gigawatts of renewable capacity over the next decade, expected to power over six million African households, with an investment commitment of $12 billion, including $3.6 billion in equity and $8.4 billion in debt financing. He emphasized that “partnerships, partnerships, partnerships” were the key to success, declaring that Africa is no longer a junior partner but “ready to respond to its own challenges.”
Von der Leyen praised Pele Energy’s achievement as a model of cooperation between governments, private investors, and local entrepreneurs. She insisted that scaling up renewables in Africa was a “win-win-win” for the continent, for European partners, and for global climate goals.
The session concluded with a joint call to mobilize public, private, and philanthropic commitments ahead of the G20 summit in Johannesburg on November 21, where leaders are expected to push forward concrete pledges to accelerate Africa’s green energy transformation.
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