Infrastructure Comes First in Africa’s Transition Logic
Recent commentary emphasizes that for Africa, a meaningful energy transition does not begin with renewables alone, it begins with infrastructure: transmission, storage, interconnections and governance. As noted by Daniel Mminele (chair of the B20 SA Energy Mix & Just Transition Task Force): “Transmission, storage and cross-border interconnectors are the quiet enablers of progress.” Without this backbone, new generation capacity cannot reliably reach homes, industry or jobs. The argument: African countries must sequence the build-out of grids and networks so that generation and distributed systems become investable and inclusive rather than isolated.
Linking Access, Resilience and Industrialisation
Africa faces a dual challenge: nearly 600 million people lack electricity and many more lack access to reliable power, even where supply exists. The commentary suggests that “just transition” in Africa means more than decarbonisation—it means expanding access, creating jobs, strengthening industrial value chains and building resilient systems. Infrastructure investments are therefore not just climate-action tools but development tools. Finance must follow those integrated needs: grids + storage + regulatory reform bundled into bankable platforms.
A Strategic Shift Toward Investment-ready Systems
The implication for investors, governments and multilateral agencies is clear: Africa’s transition will be successful if it is scalable, investable and inclusive. Predictable regulation, strong governance, and blended finance vehicles that lower risk will unlock bankable infrastructure in generation, transmission and storage. For regions that often receive generation-centric capital flows, the recalibration toward infrastructure as first-order priority marks a strategic transition in itself. If Africa builds that foundation, the continent can lead—not follow—the global clean-energy and industrial agenda.