The World Decides: Clean Energy or Oil & Gas? Ep243: Damilola Ogunbiyi
•February 4, 2026
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Why It Matters
Africa’s accelerating clean‑energy rollout reshapes global emissions pathways and unlocks economic growth, making the continent’s transition a decisive factor in meeting worldwide climate and development goals.
Key Takeaways
- •Africa's renewable investments now exceed fossil fuel spending globally
- •Ethiopia bans combustion-engine buses, mandating electric transport nationwide
- •Solar-first building codes in Kenya and South Africa accelerate adoption
- •Utility-scale renewables now cheaper than lowest-cost fossil alternatives
- •Mission 300 aims to connect 300 million Africans by 2030
Summary
The episode centers on a conversation with Damilola Ogunbiyi, UN Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All, about whether the world’s energy future will be decided by oil and gas or by clean power, with a particular focus on the Global South. Ogunbiyi outlines how African nations are pioneering policies—Ethiopia’s outright ban on combustion‑engine buses, Kenya and South Africa’s solar‑first building codes—that force rapid electrification and clean‑cooking adoption.
Key data points underscore a turning tide: last year $2.2 trillion was poured into renewable projects, outpacing comparable fossil‑fuel investment, and utility‑scale renewables have become cheaper than the cheapest coal or gas options. Yet Africa still needs roughly twenty times its current installed capacity, and projects cost about seven times more than in Europe, highlighting both the scale of the challenge and the urgency of financing.
Illustrative examples pepper the discussion—from Nigeria’s burgeoning 400 MW of solar‑plus‑storage installations to Pakistan’s satellite‑detected solar surge that added 50 % grid capacity in eighteen months. Ogunbiyi cites Ban Ki‑moon’s description of energy as the “red thread” linking all SDGs, and highlights the Mission 300 partnership, which seeks to bring electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030 with $30‑40 billion in concessional funding.
The implications are clear: the trajectory of global energy security, climate mitigation, and economic development now hinges on the “Most of World” adopting clean power at scale. Accelerated policy, private capital, and international financing will be essential to bridge the financing gap, lower project costs, and ensure that Africa’s energy transition drives both prosperity and the achievement of SDG 7.
Original Description
What if the future of clean energy isn’t decided in Washington, Brussels, or Beijing, but in Lagos, Nairobi, and Addis Ababa? Are we underestimating how fast the Global South is leapfrogging fossil fuels? And what happens when clean energy becomes the cheapest, fastest path to development, not a climate sacrifice?
In this episode of Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich is joined for a third time by Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and UN Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN Energy. Together, they explore how Africa and the wider Global South are quietly reshaping the global energy transition, from rapid growth in solar, storage, mini-grids, and EVs to bold policy moves that many developed economies haven’t dared to make.
They dive into why energy access is about dignity, health, and gender equality; why finance, not technology, is the real bottleneck; and how local capital, data, and innovation could determine whether “Most of World” powers its future with clean energy or fossil fuels.
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Schneider Electric, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Links and more:
• Sustainable Energy For All: https://www.seforall.org
• Damilola’s past appearances on Cleaning Up:
Chapters:
00:00 - Coming Up
03:55 - Sustainable Energy For All
07:00 - The Red Thread of Energy
10:00 - The Global South Leapfrog
16:25 - Off-Grid Solar
20:30 - Mini-Grid Consolidation
23:45 - Reasons to be Optimistic
28:00 - Energy Access
31:45 - Project Bo
33:00 - Reliable Power
35:30 - Electrification of Global South
40:00 - Finance Innovation
45:00 - Cost of Clean Energy
49:45 - The Goals for 2026
53:53 - Outro
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