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What would a practical, distinctly African transition look like? Simply, it would be sequenced, not copied. Africa cannot follow the same transition pathway as economies that industrialised first and are decarbonising second. A credible and practical African transition uses gas and power infrastructure as a bridge where it is needed, addresses energy poverty and industrialisation as legitimate priorities rather than obstacles, and builds local content and capital participation into projects from the earliest stage.
It also requires regulatory predictability. Investors need clear licensing regimes, transparent fiscal terms, and efficient approval processes. Without that, capital moves elsewhere regardless of the continent’ s resource potential. A distinctly African transition is one financed, governed, and paced on African terms.
What must firms change if more women are to reach positions where they shape strategy and major decisions? We need to move beyond mentorship toward genuine sponsorship, putting women in front of the clients, the transactions, and the boardrooms where real decisions are made, not simply advising from the sidelines. Pathways to leadership need to be visible and deliberate, not incidental.
Firms also need to examine what they reward. Competence and grit should be the currency of advancement, not proximity to the existing image of what a leader is expected to look like. My hope is that visible examples of more women stepping into senior leadership across African firms continue to demonstrate that this is entirely possible and overdue.
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