The Nigeria Country Manager of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), Tengi George-Ikoli, has called on African governments to move beyond rhetoric and urgently adopt integrated, transparent, and collective strategies to navigate the continent’s energy transition.
Responding to questions from NR News on the sidelines of the 2025 Africa Regional Extractive Industries Knowledge Hub (AFREIKH) Summer School, hosted in Accra by the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and NRGI on Africa’s energy transition objectives, George-Ikoli emphasized that African countries must develop clear policy frameworks that balance the twin goals of industrialisation and universal energy access with the global push away from fossil fuels.
According to her, this requires a roadmap that defines the evolving role of natural gas as a transition fuel while laying out how renewables will progressively take over as financing, technology, and skills become available.
She underscored the need for a robust climate and energy transition finance accountability framework to track the flow of climate finance, ensure timely disbursement, and guarantee that spending aligns with just transition plans.
“Such a framework will not only drive transparency but also ensure that resources are equitably deployed to address social equity and environmental accountability,” she noted.
On attracting financing into renewable energy, George-Ikoli urged governments to de-risk investments by addressing currency instability and repatriation risks that discourage investors. She further called for a bold shift in fiscal priorities by redirecting fossil fuel subsidies towards renewable energy infrastructure to accelerate growth in the sector.
At the continental level, she emphasized that Africa must act collectively to avoid being shortchanged in the global energy transition.
She urged governments to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and regional blocs to harmonize standards, pool power resources, and negotiate unified positions with donors.
She also recommended the establishment of regional training and certification centers linked to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for technology transfer, coordinated industrial specialization for green manufacturing niches, and green-corridor projects to guarantee market access.
“Only by coordinating regionally, deepening power-pooling projects, and speaking with one voice can Africa secure equitable technology transfer, concessional finance, and predictable demand for its renewable energy sector,” Ms George-Ikoli emphasized.
The NRGI Nigeria Country Manager’s remarks underscore a growing consensus that Africa’s energy transition will only succeed if governments adopt transparent financing mechanisms, incentivize renewable energy investment, and unite to maximize bargaining power on the global stage.
By: Christian Kpesese/www.naturalresourcesnews.com
