Our Energy to Keep on Going until the End
Africa stands at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution , with vast solar, wind and hydro resources offering hope for sustainable energy. The potential alone is not enough to accomplish the goal but through long term financing, strong policies and empowerment to the locals. This article explores both the hope and challenges Africa faces in their journey towards renewable energy.
Africa stands at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution , with vast solar, wind and hydro resources offering hope for sustainable energy. The potential alone is not enough to accomplish the goal but through long term financing, strong policies and empowerment to the locals. This article explores both the hope and challenges Africa faces in their journey towards renewable energy.
The western world often views Africa as an underdeveloped continent, creating an exceeding amount of prejudice against what they can accomplish. In recent years Africa has started to build something and show westerners a whole different story to our prejudiced beliefs, and in the end they might be the answers to one of the most important questions in recent memory. The energy problem is constantly in question and where to get it from but we might have found an answer. Africa has shown encouraging early signs of renewable energy but history shows that without long-term financing, political commitment, and capacity the growth often stalls. This makes it crucial that we continue to take taking renewable energy development seriously
Africa's abundant solar, wind, and hydro resources demonstrate the opportunity the continent possesses for a green energy revolution, but capitalizing on the promise requires sustained external investment. "Green energy is booming in Africa, with 20 countries breaking records for imports of solar panels in the 12 months to June" (The Guardian, 2025). I see this not merely as potential for something great, but as action that has already begun. Melaku Yirga from the Mercy corps states in The Guardian (2025) that renewable energy is not only an opportunity for Africa's growth but also a necessity. With the help of the energy produced by… , food can be stored longer and both healthcare and livelihoods can drastically improve, creating a continent any westerner would be ashamed to harbor prejudices against. I believe that Africa has the resources that are needed to help us come closer to an answer in the worldwide energy issue, and at the same time solving their problems with the spread of energy throughout the continent. We might not be anywhere close to actually solving it but we do know the direction towards solving a worldwide issue, or at the least a continent wide.
In the land that we grew up on
That had no water to give
No life to give
No energy to give
Has now sown its first seed
Turning the brown soil into a magical green
Where the sun flowers turns their heads towards the light
Giving us hope to fight
Yet the soil remembers the drought and so do we
Where the river once ran dry
Silencing the people’s cry
Terrifying us with the fear of return, to what once was
So we take precautions
To make the next flower to bloom just as beautifully as the rest
To give the next flower just as much energy as the rest
For me to receive the hope from the once wasteland, just as the rest
Hope was born once again
Hope filled our people’s hearts once again
Hope takes us no where without the help of the people
Hope makes us water, to see if the next flower will bloom
However, without strong financial support and a robust policy Africa’s renewable energy ambitions have a risk of collapsing under the stress of underinvestment. ScienceDirect article (2023, One Earth) argues that financing is the bottleneck for Africa's energy potential, making financing one of the biggest reasons for stalled projects. Comparing the financing between Belgium and the whole continent of Africa, is an eye opening experience and makes the problem obvious. According to ScienceDirect (2023) Belgium and Africa have essentially the same amount of solar panels. Not only is Belgium just a country and a small one at that, while Africa is a massive continent with miles and miles of land that could be used for solar panel farms. To add on to that, many parts of Africa have harsher sun than Belgium and the sun is up for more hours. Making it look like it should be an obvious answer to where the solar panels should be placed. Frustration is the only way I can imagine the people of Africa feel, because they have the resources but not the means. "Africa has no shortage of ambition in renewable energy, but without stronger international finance and the right incentives, the private sector will remain on the sidelines " (The Guardian, 2025). Once again the frustration by not being able to capitalize on these ambitions. The resources and ambitions are there, and therefore they just need the help to get it up and running. They just don't get the aid that they so rightfully deserve and could benefit from.
Building Africa's new green energy will depend not just on international support but also empowering the local communities and institutions to manage and maintain the new energy systems. The ScienceDirect article emphasizes local ownership as a critical point for the renewable energy projects to survive past initial investment. this speaks for itself. Africa's energy sector can not be managed and run by outsiders failing to consider cultural differences and failing to support the ones in actual need. I believe that Africa needs their chance to solve their own energy questions in order to help out with energy in the future, because there is no lack of energy opportunities in the continent. "Africa is ready to be part of the global fight... provided we are supported with finance, technology and capacity-building" (Richard Muyungi, Tanzania climate envoy, in The Guardian, 2025). They are ready, we just have to be ready to support them, in order for them to give back energy in the future, helping us with the energy question.
Africa has shown encouraging numbers and opportunities for renewable energy. Now it's time to act on them, to give Africa a chance to build up an economy and private sector that can handle the output they are capable of. By encouraging and financially aiding countries in Africa these projects won't stall like they previously have done, by learning from our mistakes. We inch closer to a solution to our generation's biggest question. The path is neither straight nor easy but a path we have to take if we want results.
Linus Magnusson