Global South nations look to renewables to tackle energy access and climate risks
As countries across the Global South look to move away from hydrocarbons, nations such as Sudan and Vanuatu are increasingly turning to renewable energy to meet their power needs. While limited access to finance remains a major hurdle for Sudan, Vanuatu’s geographic isolation, the high cost of importing oil, and the need to protect its fragile, disaster-prone environment are pushing the island nation towards cleaner alternatives.
These themes emerged during the “Global South Clean Energy Solidarity: Powering South-South Cooperation for a Shared Future” session at India Energy Week 2026, where speakers highlighted the growing role of renewables in shaping energy security and climate resilience across developing economies.
Speaking at the session, His Excellency Professor Elmutasim Ibrahim Ahmed Ali, Sudan’s Minister of Energy and Petroleum, said the country has set a target of indigenising its clean energy sector. “We have to first map our local renewable potential solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass resources tailored to regional conditions. Sudan will rely more on hydroelectric energy rather than on fossil fuels. We must look further into renewable and clean energy,” H.E. added.
Solar energy, he noted, is particularly well-suited to Sudan’s climate and economic structure. “That's why we are enhancing and developing means and ways of using solar energy, mainly because, in Sudan, the ‘One Sun, One Energy’, slogan is most applicable. We are an agrarian country, and renewable energy is the main source of energy for the agricultural sector in Sudan,” he explained.
To support this transition, he said Sudan’s central bank has already mandated a 12.5% allocation to microfinance, with most of that funding directed towards the clean energy sector across both agriculture and industry.
Vanuatu’s approach, while equally ambitious, is shaped by a different set of pressures. His Excellency Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s Minister of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology and Geo-hazards, Energy, Environment and Disaster Management, said climate impacts and energy access are central to the country’s push for renewables.
“We have taken a very ambitious view to make a transition to renewable energy sources. And that's because we experience the effects of climate change. It's a part of our mandate to develop low-emission energy sectors. We have low-emission pathways. If we are going to continue to use fossil fuels, we have to bring it from markets that lie thousands of kilometres away,” Regenvanu said during the discussion.
He added that Vanuatu’s Parliament has passed legislation to establish a National Green Energy Fund, which will include private sector investment. The fund will be used to develop financial products that encourage the uptake of new electrical products, particularly electricity-based solutions, and to expand access across the country.
“Because we have an ambitious target of 100% access to electricity by 2030, which requires a mix of grid systems, but also home systems, community systems. And while we have access to some aid funding, we also wanted to involve and incentivise the private sector providers,” he said.
Highlighting the importance of collective action, His Excellency Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary General, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), outlined the need to step up regional-level collaboration among nations, particularly in the Global South. He stressed that stronger cooperation can help countries better leverage shared resources, align policy priorities, and realise the benefits of a common vision for clean energy development.
