Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
What if the future of clean energy isn’t decided in Washington, Brussels, or Beijing, but in Lagos, Nairobi, and Addis Ababa? Are we underestimating how fast the Global South is leapfrogging fossil fuels? And what happens when clean energy becomes the cheapest, fastest path to development, not a climate sacrifice?
In this episode of Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich is joined for a third time by Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and UN Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN Energy. Together, they explore how Africa and the wider Global South are quietly reshaping the global energy transition, from rapid growth in solar, storage, mini-grids, and EVs to bold policy moves that many developed economies haven’t dared to make.
They dive into why energy access is about dignity, health, and gender equality; why finance, not technology, is the real bottleneck; and how local capital, data, and innovation could determine whether “Most of World” powers its future with clean energy or fossil fuels.
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Schneider Electric, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Links and more:
• Sustainable Energy For All: seforall.org
• Damilola’s past appearances on Cleaning Up:
youtu.be/TbN1Y1C0ido
youtu.be/VcpNOmm1pMw
• Ban Ki-moon on Cleaning Up: youtu.be/B14_MeRhfBw
• The Sierra Leone Documentary: youtu.be/z-5QjSfy2SM
• Clemens Calice on Cleaning Up: youtu.be/urmP7zN6n04
• Alain Ebobissé on Cleaning Up: youtu.be/ISTvp0BQz3E
Chapters:
00:00 - Coming Up
03:55 - Sustainable Energy For All
07:00 - The Red Thread of Energy
10:00 - The Global South Leapfrog
16:25 - Off-Grid Solar
20:30 - Mini-Grid Consolidation
23:45 - Reasons to be Optimistic
28:00 - Energy Access
31:45 - Project Bo
33:00 - Reliable Power
35:30 - Electrification of Global South
40:00 - Finance Innovation
45:00 - Cost of Clean Energy
49:45 - The Goals for 2026
53:53 - Outro
What if the future of clean energy isn’t decided in Washington, Brussels, or Beijing, but in Lagos, Nairobi, and Addis Ababa? Are we underestimating how fast the Global South is leapfrogging fossil fuels? And what happens when clean energy becomes the cheapest, fastest path to development, not a climate sacrifice?
In this episode of Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich is joined for a third time by Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and UN Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN Energy. Together, they explore how Africa and the wider Global South are quietly reshaping the global energy transition, from rapid growth in solar, storage, mini-grids, and EVs to bold policy moves that many developed economies haven’t dared to make.
They dive into why energy access is about dignity, health, and gender equality; why finance, not technology, is the real bottleneck; and how local capital, data, and innovation could determine whether “Most of World” powers its future with clean energy or fossil fuels.
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Schneider Electric, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Links and more:
• Sustainable Energy For All: seforall.org
• Damilola’s past appearances on Cleaning Up:
youtu.be/TbN1Y1C0ido
youtu.be/VcpNOmm1pMw
• Ban Ki-moon on Cleaning Up: youtu.be/B14_MeRhfBw
• The Sierra Leone Documentary: youtu.be/z-5QjSfy2SM
• Clemens Calice on Cleaning Up: youtu.be/urmP7zN6n04
• Alain Ebobissé on Cleaning Up: youtu.be/ISTvp0BQz3E
Chapters:
00:00 - Coming Up
03:55 - Sustainable Energy For All
07:00 - The Red Thread of Energy
10:00 - The Global South Leapfrog
16:25 - Off-Grid Solar
20:30 - Mini-Grid Consolidation
23:45 - Reasons to be Optimistic
28:00 - Energy Access
31:45 - Project Bo
33:00 - Reliable Power
35:30 - Electrification of Global South
40:00 - Finance Innovation
45:00 - Cost of Clean Energy
49:45 - The Goals for 2026
53:53 - Outro
