Renewable Energy Quest and the Politics of Power in Africa

• Renewable energy: Even as Africa holds 40% of global solar potential, trillion-dollar gas reserves threaten to tilt the scales, leaving the continent’s policymakers standing at a pivotal energy crossroads, renewables for a green legacy or gas for immediate prosperity?
• In a year where solar costs plummeted 89% and gas discoveries promised billions, Africa’s leaders must navigate political pressures to turn abundant resources into equitable power for all.
• From Kenya’s solar grids to Tanzania’s offshore gas fields, 2025’s energy equation reveals a high-stakes battle: embrace renewables for climate resilience or lean on gas for short-term gains?

Africa’s energy industry is changing in a big way. Renewables such solar promise a clean, plentiful future, but new gas discoveries tempt policymakers with short-term economic benefits. This equation, finding a balance between nature’s renewable resources and fossil fuel wealth, is made more difficult by political forces that affect investment and policy.

The International Renewable Energy Agency’s 2025 Renewable Energy Roadmap for Africa says that the continent has 40 per cent of the world’s solar potential, which could produce 10 terawatts of energy, enough to power the world twice.

But the U.S. Geological Survey says that East Africa has 100 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, which leads to arguments about energy security versus climate commitments. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7 says that Africa should have universal access to electricity by 2030. Whether the continent moves toward a green economy or stays stuck in resource curses will depend on how solar power can be scaled up, how reliable gas is, and how politics works.

The Solar Surge: Making Use of Africa’s Renewable Energy

Solar energy has become a key part of Africa’s push for renewable energy because it is getting cheaper and has a lot of untapped potential. The African Development Bank’s 2025 report says that the cost of installing solar panels has gone down by 89 per cent since 2010. This makes solar energy the cheapest source of energy in sunny places like the Sahel.

Kenya’s Lake Turkana Wind Farm, which has a capacity of 310 MW, and Morocco’s Noor Ouarzazate solar complex, which has a capacity of 580 MW, are two examples of this change. The Kenya Electricity Generating Company’s 2025 annual report says that solar now powers 10 per cent of the grid and off-grid systems serve 1.2 million homes.

But for renewables to grow, new ideas are needed. The International Energy Agency’s 2025 Africa Energy Outlook says that South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme has added 6 GW since 2011, creating 40,000 jobs.

The World Bank’s 2025 Energizing Africa report says that scaling up requires $190 billion every year until 2030. These successes show how renewables can help the 600 million people in Africa who don’t have electricity. Without it, renewables could stay niche because gas is so appealing.

Gas Discoveries: Africa’s Problem with Fossil Fuels

According to Rystad Energy’s 2025 Global Gas Outlook, gas has become a controversial part of Africa’s energy mix, with discoveries in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Senegal worth $1 trillion. A 2025 PwC Tanzania Economic Update says that Tanzania’s offshore gas fields, which hold 57 trillion cubic feet, could make $7 billion a year.

The IPCC’s 2025 Africa Climate Report says that gas’s “cleaner” label, which means it releases 50 per cent less CO2 than coal, goes against net-zero goals because locked-in emissions will slow down decarbonization.

According to a World Bank report from 2025, Nigeria’s gas flaring wastes $1 billion a year, which is an example of poor management. On the other hand, Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has attracted investors with tax breaks, signing deals worth $4.5 billion in 2025, according to Reuters coverage.

Gas promises energy independence, but its extraction often ignores the fact that renewables are cheaper in the long run. For example, solar energy costs $0.03 per kilowatt hour (kWh) compared to gas at $0.08/kWh, according to IRENA 2025 data.

The Politics of Power: Geopolitics and Domestic Agendas

Politics are getting in the way of Africa’s energy transition, and fossil fuel lobbies are fighting against renewables. According to the OPEC 2025 Annual Statistical Bulletin, oil makes up 90 per cent of Nigeria’s exports. Gas is a political lifeline because 40 per cent of young people are unemployed, according to the National Bureau of Statistics 2025 report. Protests broke out after President Bola Tinubu announced that subsidies would be cut in 2025. This shows how energy policy can cause social unrest.

The Eskom crisis in South Africa, which will cost $12 billion in blackouts in 2024, puts coal unions against solar advocates. The U.S. State Department’s 2025 update says that the Just Energy Transition Partnership promised $8.5 billion in 2021. However, by 2025, they had only delivered $1 billion, which was delayed by ANC politics that were afraid of losing 100,000 jobs, according to Greenpeace Africa’s 2025 analysis.

Kenya’s goal of going 100 percent green by 2030, as stated in the Kenya Ministry of Energy’s 2025 plan, is at odds with U.S.-backed gas projects such as the LAPSSET pipeline, which the AfDB says is worth $2 billion.

A Brookings study from 2025 says that China’s $50 billion Belt and Road investments in African gas add geopolitical layers. The U.S. is countering with Prosper Africa, which promises $10 billion for renewables in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of State.

Read also: Global oil and gas heavyweights meet in Scotland to shape Africa’s energy future

Balancing Act: Gas and Renewables in Africa’s Energy Future

To solve Africa’s energy problem, policymakers need to find a balance between the long-term benefits of renewables and the short-term benefits of gas. IRENA’s 2025 projections say that solar could add $1 trillion to GDP by 2050 through jobs and exports.

However, Rystad Energy’s 2025 outlook says that gas could bring in $500 billion by 2030, which is tempting for governments that don’t have a lot of money. The Tanzania Investment Centre’s 2025 report says that the 2025 Mining Act changes in Tanzania brought in $3 billion in investments. This shows how policy can change the balance.

But politics often favors gas. For example, Mozambique’s Rovuma basin, which has 100 trillion cubic feet, has attracted $20 billion from Exxon and Total, but insurgencies have cost $1 billion in lost output, according to a Human Rights Watch report from 2025.

According to IEA 2025 data, Morocco’s goal of getting 50 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, with the help of $10 billion in international aid, is an example of how politics can work with green goals to create 100,000 jobs.

Problems and chances in Africa’s shift to cleaner energy

There are a lot of problems: the IEA 2025 report says that 600 million people in Africa don’t have electricity and that politics in the grid makes it hard to get it. The World Bank 2025 projections say that renewables will cost $190 billion a year. Based on an Amnesty International report from 2025, Nigeria’s $1 billion gas flaring fines were avoided, which hurts trust.

The EU’s Global Gateway promised $150 billion for African renewables by 2027, according to a European Commission report from 2025. The AfCFTA could also bring together energy markets, adding $50 billion in trade, according to an AfDB report from 2025.

A McKinsey 2025 study shows taht renewables give investors 12 per cent returns, while gas only gives them 8 per cent. According to Verra 2025 data, carbon markets add $2 billion a year.

According to the IPCC 2025 report, Africa’s energy future depends on political will: putting renewables first could cut emissions by 40 per cent by 2030, but gas lock-in could leave  100 billion in assets stranded, according to the Carbon Tracker 2025 analysis. As leaders weigh the value of nature against the needs of the economy, the continent’s path will shape global green transitions.

Read also: The Sahel can revolutionize renewable energy access and affordability up to the last mile