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The 2026 Energy Progress Report reveals that the world is off track for all SDG7 targets by 2030. While Asia has made significant strides in electricity and clean cooking access, Africa's progress is stagnating or regressing due to a 'population trap' where demographic growth outpaces new connections. Renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements are slowing, with global progress heavily dependent on a small number of high-consuming economies. The report calls for a massive scale-up in finance and targeted infrastructure investments to prevent millions from remaining without basic energy services.

The report finds that while progress continues, momentum is fading across all SDG7 indicators. Electricity and clean cooking deficits are increasingly concentrated in Africa, where population growth often offsets gains in access. Renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements are too slow to meet 2030 targets, with global progress heavily dependent on a small number of high-consuming economies and significant investment gaps in developing nations.

The report evaluates South Sudan's development prospects through 2043, contrasting a 'Current Path' of gradual improvement with a 'Combined scenario' of integrated reforms. While the current path is deemed insufficient to meet the goals of the SSDP 2026–2036, the combined approach suggests that coordinated investments in agriculture, human capital, and infrastructure can accelerate poverty reduction and economic diversification. Key recommendations include scaling solar energy, implementing climate-smart agriculture, and leveraging the AfCFTA to reduce reliance on the oil sector.

African ClimateTech has grown significantly, with funding increasing from $206 million in 2016 to over $1.5 billion in 2025, now accounting for nearly 40% of all disclosed venture funding on the continent. However, this growth is highly concentrated: the top 10 companies raised as much as all other companies combined, and Energy accounts for roughly 65% of total funding. The report argues that the ecosystem is not a single market but a collection of applications maturing at different speeds. Energy Generation has reached 'Early Maturity,' while Mobility & Transport is in 'Late Frenzy.' Conversely, Water Access and Built Materials remain in 'Irruption.' A critical finding is that financial maturity, rather than technological readiness, is the primary constraint, with significant gaps in early-stage equity and working capital. The report advocates for 'tailored capital stacks' that combine grants, equity, and debt based on the specific maturity stage of each application.

The report finds that Mozambique's 'Current Path' is not viable, as the country is likely to miss most of its National Development Strategy (2023-2043) targets and see an increase in extreme poverty by 2043 despite gas megaproject revenues. To achieve inclusive growth, the authors recommend an integrated development push focusing on governance transparency, agricultural productivity, economic diversification, and human capital. Specific climate-related recommendations include investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, such as solar-powered irrigation, and adopting ecosystem-based approaches like wetland restoration to protect rural communities from floods and land degradation.

The report concludes that Africa's current development trajectory is insufficient to meet Agenda 2063 and SDG goals, with 19.1% of the population projected to remain in extreme poverty by 2043. It argues that a 'Combined scenario' of coordinated reforms—including the full implementation of the AfCFTA, improved governance, and an accelerated energy transition—could lift GDP to nearly US$9 trillion and reduce extreme poverty to 10.9% by 2043. Key recommendations include doubling or tripling annual energy buildout through renewables and regional power pools, and prioritizing industrialization in agro-processing and mineral beneficiation.

The Large Infrastructure and Leapfrogging scenario presents an optimistic pathway for Africa, benchmarking progress against historical trajectories in South Asia and South America. It focuses on accelerating the transition to modern energy systems and expanding digital connectivity to drive productivity and social benefits by 2050.

As of 2022, 41.5% of Africa's population lacked electricity, with sub-Saharan Africa lagging significantly at 51.5% access. The document argues that traditional grid expansion is too slow and expensive for rural areas, proposing a 'leapfrog' strategy centered on solar-based off-grid and mini-grid solutions. World Bank estimates suggest that providing electricity to 380 million people by 2030 would require over 160,000 mini-grids costing approximately US$ 91 billion. Despite possessing 60% of the world's best solar resources, Africa faces severe financing shortfalls, with clean energy finance growing by only 2.5% in sub-Saharan Africa between 2021 and 2022, compared to over 100% in Latin America. Barriers to deployment include high public debt, regulatory bottlenecks, and shifting geopolitical priorities, such as the end of the US Power Africa initiative.

The document argues that current RBF programmes often prioritize short-term connection numbers over long-term business viability, creating 'cliff-edge risks' and deterring commercial investors. It proposes a four-pillar approach: aligning impact metrics with commercial viability (e.g., rewarding energy usage and productive-use connections), adjusting disbursement schedules to support capital raises, introducing risk-mitigation instruments for macroeconomic and operational risks, and fostering ecosystem-wide coordination between governments, funders, and investors.

The Gender and Social Inclusion Action Plan (GAP) for the PURE Rural Mozambique Climate Project establishes a framework to address gender-based inequalities in the energy sector. It focuses on mainstreaming gender-transformative interventions across institutional strengthening of FUNAE, mini-grid development, and the deployment of climate-smart PU(R)E solutions. The plan sets specific targets for women's participation, including a goal for 52% of mini-grid and PURE beneficiaries to be women and 15% of local operators to be women. It also implements safeguarding measures against sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) and gender-based violence (GBV).

The methodology establishes a framework for the 'integrated replacement' of fossil-fuel generators (such as diesel or natural gas gensets and mini-grids) with greenfield renewable energy systems (RES), including solar PV, wind, and hydro. It mandates the permanent decommissioning of the baseline system and the implementation of a Just Transition Plan to protect affected workers and consumers. Emission reductions are calculated by comparing the RES output against a baseline of historical or default fossil fuel emissions, adjusted downward over time via a Downward Adjustment Factor (DAF) to align with national Net Zero trajectories. The framework includes detailed requirements for demonstrating additionality, accounting for embodied emissions from RES manufacturing, and managing reversal risks if the RES fails. A voluntary annex also allows for the quantification of avoided black carbon and PM2.5 emissions.

The report examines the strategic partnership between Nigeria and China within the context of Nigeria's energy transition. It highlights a shift in Chinese engagement from 'debt-heavy, state-directed mega-projects' to 'smaller, more commercially oriented and locally embedded projects' under a 'BRI 2.0' approach. While Nigeria faces severe energy gaps—with peak generation at 5.7 GW against a 20 GW demand—it aims for universal electricity access by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2060. The report details specific collaborations in solar assembly, battery manufacturing, and green hydrogen, while advising Nigeria to 'stack' diverse capital sources from China, the EU, and the US to avoid geopolitical zero-sum traps. It concludes that Nigeria must strengthen institutional coordination to address asymmetries in bargaining power and ensure technology transfer.

In 2025, Nigeria transitioned from policy ambition to implementation through the introduction of the National Integrated Electricity Policy, the launch of the Nigerian Climate Investment Platform, and the submission of its NDC 3.0. Key energy initiatives include the National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative and the Nigeria Electrification Project, while the Nigerian Gas Flaring Commercialisation Programme targets emissions reductions within the hydrocarbons sector.

In 2025, Nigeria transitioned from policy ambition to concrete implementation of its climate agenda through the introduction of the National Integrated Electricity Policy, the launch of the Nigerian Climate Investment Platform, and the submission of its NDC 3.0. Key energy initiatives include the National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative and the expansion of mini-grids via the Nigeria Electrification Project. The country also established a National Carbon Market Framework and advanced the Nigerian Gas Flaring Commercialisation Programme to reduce emissions while boosting power generation.

Renewvia deployed a 75-connection Okra mesh-grid in Emakalakala, Nigeria, in 2024 to address system-wide blackouts and high costs associated with its existing mini-grids. The mesh-grid pilot achieved 99.1% uptime, reduced capex per connection by approximately 50%, and shortened the payback period by 3 years. These results led Renewvia to shift its strategy toward a pipeline of over 21,000 mesh-grid connections over the next 18 months and the launch of an appliance financing pilot.

The case study argues that productive use of renewable electricity (PURE) requires more than infrastructure, necessitating trust, capacity development, and appropriate financing. In Guatemala, technical assistance and financing for agricultural and commercial equipment helped young women increase revenue by over 30%. In Zambia, a solar-powered agro-processing hub utilizing zero-cost lease agreements for milling entrepreneurs showed a 38% margin based on energy cost savings compared to diesel. These findings suggest that risk-sharing and technical support are essential for scaling productive loads, insights which are being applied to future initiatives in Haiti.

The document defines renewably powered minigrids (or microgrids) as systems combining renewable energy sources, battery storage, and sometimes backup generators to provide power to communities or specific facilities. It details three configurations: isolated, undergrid, and interconnected. Case studies illustrate their use in the Caribbean for hurricane resilience, in Africa for expanding business and home energy access, and in the United States for reducing diesel reliance in remote areas and enhancing military facility resilience.

The document highlights the rapid global growth of solar energy, noting a 31% jump in generation in the first half of 2025 and its cost-effectiveness compared to fossil fuels. It advises journalists to move past 'alternative energy' framing, treat intermittency as a manageable issue rather than a fundamental obstacle, and be skeptical of 'weird solar' innovations that cannot compete with mass-produced panels. The guide also provides specific examples of solar applications, from agrivoltaics in Illinois to mini-grids in Nigeria and resilience hubs in Houston.

The Community Energy Toolkit (COMET) uses participatory workshops and simulations to help communities in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific plan for the productive use of energy (PUE). By allowing households and micro-enterprises to trial appliances and tariffs, COMET provides developers with demand-side intelligence—such as demand curves and willingness-to-pay—to reduce the risk of under-utilisation and under-recovery of revenues. A deployment in Pos Titom, Malaysia, demonstrated how testing specific enterprise options like grinders and ice-making can create concrete income pathways and decision-ready inputs for implementers. Across 110 communities in six countries, this co-creation approach has been linked to higher early-life utilisation and improved billed revenue.

Colombia's Energy Communities program, launched in 2023 under the National Development Plan 2022-2026, aims to provide reliable electricity to off-grid rural areas, particularly Indigenous and Afro-Colombian populations. By shifting from diesel generators to hybrid and solar mini-grids, the program supports local economies—such as electric motorcycle retrofitting in Mingueo and solar-powered fish farming in Natagaima—while contributing to Colombia's goal of 51% emissions reduction by 2030. However, the program faces challenges regarding the duration of technical training, long-term financing for maintenance, and institutional coordination in protected areas.