In Abuja, Nigeria, twenty African countries are considering a new industrial trajectory. Faced with the global energy transition, the continent wants to turn its resources into economic opportunities. The goal is to strengthen cooperation, develop regional value chains, and make green industrialisation a driver of growth and wealth creation in Africa.
Green industrialisation is entering a new phase on the continent. In Abuja, representatives from twenty African countries are seeking to strengthen a common momentum around the energy transition. The goal is to bring national policies closer together, align regional priorities, and, above all, create the conditions for sustainable cooperation among African economies beyond borders. According to the World Bank, the continent still accounts for less than 2% of global manufacturing output, despite industrial value rising from USD 285 billion in 2020 to USD 351 billion in 2025.
“I’m so happy that the Green Industrialization Initiative has finally become a reality. We worked quite hard to get to this stage today and it’s all about fostering and building on the momentum towards making sure that there’s a collaborative effort between Africa and to rise and move the energy transition movement. I mean if you look here today’s CLAIRE, we’re deepening country engagement and regional value chain alignment without things like events like this or workshops that have accumulated from this, we will not be able to push through the intrinsic value chains that we’re trying to build on.”
Omotenioye Majekodounmi, Director-General of the National Council on Climate – Nigeria
This cooperation should also help better connect value chains. Africa has strategic resources for the energy transition, but still exports a large share of them in raw form. With a population expected to exceed 1.4 billion, the development of a continental market is a key lever for boosting local production and processing.
“With the African continental free trade area providing access to a market of approximately 1.4 billion people, our ambition must go beyond exporting raw materials. We must build competitive African industries, develop an integrated value chain and ensure that African resources generate African wealth.”
Ekperipke Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) – Nigeria
This ambition requires significant investment, appropriate infrastructure, and greater access to reliable and clean energy. It also calls for better coordination of industrial policies. Ultimately, the challenge goes beyond the energy transition alone: for Africa, it is about turning its resource advantage into industrial capacity, jobs, and added value.
