Minister Ramokgopa Opens 4th G20 Energy Transitions Ministerial Meeting in Durban: “A Defining Moment for Africa’s Energy Future”
DR KGOSIENTSHO RAMOKGOPA
MINISTER OF ENERGY ANDELECTRICITY | REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT THEOPENING ON THE 4TH G20 ENERGY TRANSITIONS MINISTERIAL MEETING
10 October 2025 | Capital Hotel, Zimbali, KwaZulu Natal Province
Republic of South Africa
Premier of KwaZulu Natal Province, Hon. Ntuli(represented by Honourable Hlomuka)
Your Excellencies G20 Ministers and DeputyMinisters Present
Special Greetings to Troika Members, Braziland the United States of America
Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, Ms Samanth Graham-Maré
Distinguished G20 Heads of Delegation and Negotiators
CEOs and Chairpersons present
Leaders of International Organisations
Traditional leaders present, Esteemed Guests,
Representatives of our local partners,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is with great honour that I welcome you to the City of eThekwini, Durban in the Province of KwaZulu Natal for the opening of this 4th Energy Transitions Ministerial Meeting of G20 under South Africa’s Presidency, the first ever on the African continent.
We are gathering at a City that is nestled between the warm Indian Ocean and the dramatic peaks of the Drakensberg Mountain that stands as a gateway to KwaZulu-Natal’s rich heritage. This is a land of resilience, cultural vibrancy, and natural splendour. It is therefore a fitting place for us to gather in this province, for here the past and future meet:where the enduring strength of tradition of resilience should inspire us to build pathways toward a sustainable and inclusive energy future.
This is a land where history breathes, it is here that the echoes of the Battle of Isandlwana remind us of Africa’s indomitable spirit— a spirit that refused to surrender even in the face of overwhelming odds.
It is here, too, where the suffering of “Nyawuza” and countless others bears witness to the enduring struggle for dignity, justice,and self-determination.
KwaZulu-Natal therefore stands as a living testament to the courage and resilience of a people who rose from hardship to hope. It is thus a fitting place for us to gather — for here, the past and the future converge, and the strength of our shared heritage must continue to inspire usto build pathways toward a sustainable and inclusive energy future.
Excellencies, our journey together for this Energy Transitions Working Group Ministerial meeting in 2025 has been both remarkable and inspiring. It is a journey that began full of hope and promise, where our very first gathering in February laid a foundation and set the stage for robust dialogue,merging of common interests and alignment of our priorities in their different forms.
During the course of the past few months, we were ableto further strengthen our resolve taken in Cape Town, where our discussions deepened into practical pathways, and we gathered strength when we met in Sun City, where passion, urgency and yes at times, even our differences enriched the the quality of our engagements and galvanized the tapestry of our deliberations.
We are now, here in Durban, as we stand at the point of conclusion, where the many threads of our journey are woven into a single fabric of outcomes —outcomes that this Presidency will proudly present to the world and entrust to future G20 Presidencies to carry forward.
I wish to thank each one of you for the robust,candid, and constructive exchanges that have characterized this process. Your contributions have sharpened our outcomes and given them legitimacy anddurability.
At the outset of South Africa’s Presidency, weidentified three priorities that guided our collective efforts:
1. Energy Security,Affordability, Reliability, and Access
2. Just, Affordable, and Inclusive Energy Transitions
3. African Interconnectivity and Regional Energy Pools
These priorities were not chosen lightly; they were born out of Africa’s lived realities and aspirations, but also with a deep appreciation of global imperatives.
I am encouraged that these priorities have resonated with all G20 members, even as we have recognized varying prominences and country positions. We have heard strong support for the centrality of energy security,access and affordability, in the same way we have heard reservations and firm views on some of the phrases and formulations used in our text — all this in the common spirit to achieve the outcome we will be tabling later today.
This diversity of opinions was never meant to reflectdivisions, but to emphasize the richness of perspectives across our membership,and the Presidency has sought to navigate these differences in a spirit ofbalance and bridge-building.
The Presidency reaffirms its unwavering commitment to energy security, reliability, affordability, and access. We know from our own experience that without these basic elements, the energy transition risks leaving people behind.
We are equally committed to balanced energy transitions that respect the sovereignty of each country to determine its own energy mixand pathways. This means affirming the sovereign right of nations to deploy nuclear power, carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS), natural gas, and the strategic use of mineral resources, alongside solar, wind, hydrogen, energy efficiency, and most importantly, clean cooking, especially in the African continent.
In Africa, clean cooking is not an option but an imperative. In line with the Mission 300 initiative and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, universal access to clean cooking solutions must remain a global priority. To this end, our transitions must unfold at a pace and scale consistent with national needs and objectives, not as a uniform template imposed from one to the other.
As we conclude our deliberations, we must underscore the importance of the ten principles of energy transitions agreed during Brazil’s Presidency. These principles provide continuity and coherence for our collective effort. They remind us that transitions must be just, inclusive,nationally determined, and globally coordinated.
For Africa, the energy transition is not merely about reducing emissions; it is about transforming economies. We seek to decarbonize through deliberate industrialization, through expanded access, through the creation of dignified work, and through the construction of resilient value chains that secure our continent’s prosperity for generations to come. In this vision, the Ten-Year African Infrastructure Investment Plan is not simply a blueprint for assets; it is a continental covenant for integration. It speaks to the power lines, transport corridors, pipelines and digital arteries that will connect our nations, fuel our industries, and anchor a truly industrialized and interconnected Africa.
We must ensure that Africa’s energy transition becomes the engine of industrial development and economic diversification, a catalyst for transformation rather than mere compliance. Our ambition is clear: to move from being a continent
that supplies raw materials to one that manufactures the final components of clean technologies and industrial solutions that will power the world.
To achieve this, we require financing that matches the scale of our vision. We call for scaled-up concessional and blended finance,for instruments that de-risk private capital, and for long-term funding frameworks that enable industrialization, job creation and energy system transformation across the developing world.
Africa continues to shoulder an unfair risk premium,one that too often reflects perception rather than reality. The continent’s projects are assessed through a lens of historic bias, not empirical performance. Yet, time and again, African institutions, utilities and industries have demonstrated discipline, innovation and resilience. It is time to recalibrate global risk assessments to reflect Africa’s true investment potential, and to ensure that capital flows are governed by facts, not fear; by opportunity, not outdated assumptions.
As we gather here in Durban, we do so mindful of our shared commitments to environmental stewardship and to the global processes that shape our collective future. The United Nations Framework Convention on ClimateChange (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement remain a central framework that is imperative to align ambition with action. It is worthy to remind us of theUNFCCC fundamental principle of common but differentiated responsibility, acknowledging that and I quote “while all countries share responsibility in addressing climate change, industrialised countries are historically major contributors to GHG emissions and therefore bear greater burden in combating this global issue”.
The energy transition ambition must not come at the cost of equity. Developing countries need space to grow, supported by political will to make available affordable finance, technology development, and capacity-building, so that transitions uplift rather than constrain.
None of this can be achieved by governments alone.Partnerships and knowledge exchange will remain indispensable. The role of the private sector, academia, and civil society is equally critical, and so too is the leadership of multilateral institutions and development finance partners.
Excellencies, may this gathering stand as a beacon of hope — a testament to the strength of our unity, compassion, and collective resolve. This moment should not be defined by contests of economic power or political might, but by our shared duty to the people we serve — individually and together.
We must place at the forefront the real, lived experiences of women and men, of young people and children striving each day to make ends meet, trapped in cycles of poverty, and exposed to the persistent health challenges that weigh upon our communities.
We cannot turn away from those who live on the margins of society — denied electricity, clean water, sanitation, and healthcare. Nor can we ignore the millions of children growing up in deprivation, deprived of education, of opportunity, and of the simple right to dream without limits.Their reality must be the heartbeat of our deliberations.
This gathering is about them — their struggles, their hopes, their right to a dignified life. It calls upon us to chart a different path: one that values people above profit, compassion above competition, and solidarity above self-interest.
Let this be the moment we reimagine a world that is just, equitable, and humane — a world where every person, in every nation, is given the chance not merely to survive, but to thrive.
Excellencies, colleagues, and friends, as we open this 4th Ministerial Meeting, we are reminded that our work here is both a conclusion and a beginning — it concludes a Presidency that has sought to balance ambition with inclusivity, and it begins a new phase where future Presidencies will carry forward this outcome as we chat a new G20 led revolution that reaffirm Africa’s centrality in ensuring that we power our respective economies and especially those of the developing economies.
South Africa stands proud to have steered this process, not for us alone, but for Africa, for the Global South, and for the world.
Let us ensure that Durban is remembered as a moment where we reaffirmed our shared commitment to secure, affordable, reliable, and accessible energy; to balanced, just, and sovereign energy transitions; and to a future where industrialization and sustainability walk hand in hand.
I thank you.
Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa
MINISTER OF ELECTRICITY AND ENERGY
REPUBLIC OF SOUTHAFRICA
