Africa’s Best Energy Choice Is Geothermal

Mugwe Manga touts the technology's potential to advance security, sustainability, and connectivity on the continent.

Whereas geothermal development is a protracted process and requires significant risk-tolerant finance, dams and solar farms easily attract donor money, offering the kinds of quick victories politicians crave.

But for Africa, geothermal energy may well be the key to more secure, sustainable, and affordable supplies.

NAIROBI – Africa is on a quest to deliver universal energy access and advance green industrialization, but it is still struggling to deliver reliable baseload electricity.

Power outages and shortages cost Nigeria’s economy an estimated $26 billion annually, and Ethiopia and Uganda routinely face blackouts, as droughts reduce hydropower.

Across the continent, expensive, polluting diesel generators are used to bridge the gaps, with Nigerian businesses, for example, spending about $22 billion on off-grid fuel each year.

Author summary: Geothermal energy is Africa's best choice for secure and sustainable electricity.

Project Syndicate — 2025-10-15

Africa’s Best Energy Choice Is Geothermal

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