• But infrastructure falling, clean energy share down
• Widening gap between regulatory ambition vs on-the-ground delivery
Nigeria has scored more than 19 percent gain in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Energy Transition Index (ETI) over last 10 years, described as reflecting a genuine policy transformation even as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) posted the strongest-improving region in the ETI 2026 published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) today.
“Nigeria ranks 80th globally and remains Africa’s largest oil producer and the leading gas producer in West Africa, underlining the country’s continued importance in shaping the region’s energy future. Nigeria’s +19% ETI gain over the decade reflects a genuine policy transformation,” the WEF report said.
The research, carried out in partnership with Accenture indicates that the country was ranked 80th globally on the ETI, with the SSA recording the largest gains globally, emerging as one of only two regions to improve transition readiness this year.
According to WEF, the SSA’s ETI improvement was driven by stronger regulatory environments, rising investment, expanding energy access and gains in education and innovation.
“While the region continues to face significant infrastructure and financing challenges, it is building momentum from a low base, the WEF report, which was made available to Business A.M., said.
“Sub-Saharan Africa retained the highest average emissions score, though the region’s results remained broadly flat year on year,” the WEF release said.
However, the research warned that for the SSA to maintain the regional momentum, it will require continued investment in grids, interconnections and decentralized energy systems, alongside greater mobilization of blended finance.
For Nigeria, despite making a +19% ETI gain the WEF said, the country’s infrastructure were falling, and clean energy share is down over the decade, highlighting the widening gap between regulatory ambition and on-the-ground delivery.
On the SSA region, Namibia and South Africa remain the region’s leading performers, ranking 61st and 69th globally, respectively.
South Africa continues to stand out for its role in critical minerals and efforts to mobilize transition investment.
In particular, South Africa leads Sub-Saharan Africa on readiness, underpinned by strong regulation and top-10 financial investment flows, but persistent structural weaknesses in resilience, emissions and sustainability cap its overall progress.
Kenya, an East African economic giant, was among the strongest improvers in the SSA region, supported by gains in innovation and investment capacity. The country’s research and development spending doubled from 0.4 percent to 0.8 percent of GDP between 2022 and 2023, helping strengthen transition readiness.
Also, Kenya’s gains were anchored by top-5 global emissions and resilience performance and surging clean energy investment in a near-zero fossil fuel subsidy environment.
However a near-bottom energy equity ranking, declining policy stability, and falling renewable deployment define the critical gaps constraining a broader transition. It ranks 87th globally.
