The Global Citizen NOW Summit is set to take place for the first time in Africa, bringing world leaders, business executives, and changemakers together in Johannesburg on November 21 to push for urgent investments in renewable energy across the continent.
The one-day event, titled Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg, will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre, coinciding with global discussions ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit. Presented by Harith General Partners, with support from Octopus Energy, Pele Energy Group, TransEnergy Global, Genesis Energy, and PayPal, the summit aims to accelerate clean energy action and create new opportunities for Africa’s sustainable development.
Distinguished speakers expected at the event include Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa; Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia; Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway; and Sipho Makhubela, Chief Executive Officer of Harith General Partners. The summit marks the first-ever Global Citizen NOW event to be hosted on African soil.
The Johannesburg summit serves as the flagship gathering for the year-long Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign. The initiative brings together government leaders, investors, philanthropies, and advocates to fast-track investments in renewable energy and scale up solutions to meet Africa’s growing power needs.
Co-hosted by Ursula von der Leyen and President Cyril Ramaphosa, and supported by the International Energy Agency, the campaign seeks financial commitments from governments, private investors, and multilateral institutions to quadruple Africa’s renewable energy capacity by 2030. The goal is to tackle the continent’s energy access gap, which currently leaves more than 600 million people without electricity. The effort also aligns with the World Bank and African Development Bank’s Mission 300 initiative.
Hosted by actress and humanitarian Nomzamo Mbatha, the event will feature several prominent speakers and performers, including singer and entrepreneur Yvonne Chaka Chaka; Goodbye Malaria co-founder Sherwin Charles; Global Citizen Europe Board Chair Sabrina Dhowre Elba; Global Fund Chair Lady Roslyn Morauta; International Labour Organisation representative Alexio Musindo; Mzansi Youth Choir; Genesis Energy Group CEO Akinwole Omoboriowo II; and actress and DJ Pearl Thusi, among others.
The summit will provide a platform for leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers to engage in dialogue and take measurable action. Central to the discussions will be new commitments to expand clean energy access, with a target to reach 10 million households, 4.6 million of which have already been pledged. Broader conversations will also explore global health resilience, climate adaptation, and inclusive growth, aligning with the G20’s 2025 priorities of solidarity, equality, and sustainability.
President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized the summit’s importance for Africa’s development, saying Africa’s moment is now, and that the continent holds the key to a sustainable and prosperous world. He urged decisive action and global collaboration to accelerate Africa’s clean energy transition and create jobs and opportunities for its people.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted that Africa’s renewable potential is gaining global recognition. She highlighted Europe’s partnership through the Global Gateway investment strategy to promote sustainable growth, adding that now is the time to invest in powering Africa’s future.
Harith General Partners CEO Sipho Makhubela said the partnership with Global Citizen reflects their shared vision to position Africa as a global leader in sustainable and inclusive growth. He described renewable energy investment as both a strategic and economic necessity that can drive innovation and job creation.
Hugh Evans, Co-Founder and CEO of Global Citizen, said the summit will be a defining moment for Africa, as leaders gather in South Africa for the first-ever G20 meetings on African soil. He called for public and private sectors to mobilize capital, technology, and innovation to support the continent’s clean energy goals, stressing that Africa has the talent and resources to power a sustainable future, and the world must now match that ambition with action.
Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg builds on the success of previous editions held in cities like New York, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Detroit, Belém, and Seville. Its debut in Africa marks a major milestone in the summit’s global expansion and the continent’s growing role in shaping the world’s sustainable future.
More details on the event can be found at globalcitizen.org/en/now/johannesburg, with additional announcements expected in the coming weeks.
