Namibia, Tunisia and Gabon were Africa's top-performing countries for energy transition in 2026, according to a ranking published on Thursday, June 18, by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in collaboration with consulting firm Accenture.
The Energy Transition Index (ETI) 2026 assesses the current performance of energy systems in 120 countries for which consistent data are available. The ranking is based on 44 indicators grouped into three performance dimensions: security, sustainability and equity. It also evaluates five transition-readiness factors: regulation and political commitment, finance and investment, innovation, infrastructure, and education and human capital.
Countries are scored on a scale of 0 to 100 for each indicator. The overall score combines two sub-indexes, energy system performance and transition readiness, weighted at 60% and 40%, respectively.
With an overall score of 56.2 points, Namibia ranked first in Africa and 61st globally. The southern African country, whose electricity mix relies heavily on renewable energy, mainly hydropower, and which is pursuing ambitious plans for green hydrogen, gained three places from the 2025 edition of the index. The improvement was driven by targeted regulatory reforms and growing investment in clean energy.
Tunisia ranked second in Africa and 62nd globally, ahead of Gabon (66th globally), South Africa (69th), Morocco (72nd), Mauritius (73rd), Cameroon (78th), Nigeria (80th), Egypt (84th) and Ghana (85th).
(See the ranking of the 22 African countries covered by the index below.)
Global energy transition becomes increasingly uneven
The index also showed that Sub-Saharan Africa recorded the strongest improvement, with an average score of 50.10 this year, up 1.2% from a year earlier.
The gains were driven by progress in both system performance and transition readiness, particularly in regulation, education, innovation and investment. However, Africa's energy transition remains uneven and continues to be constrained by underinvestment and persistent structural challenges.
Globally, Sweden remained the best-performing country in energy transition for a third consecutive year, supported by long-standing political commitment, strong infrastructure and an energy mix dominated by renewable sources. Finland, Denmark, Estonia and Norway followed.
More broadly, the global energy transition is not reversing, but it is becoming more fragmented and increasingly uneven. Seventy-five percent of clean energy investment continues to flow to a small number of economies, while countries projected to account for 80% of future growth in electricity demand face financing costs that are two to three times higher.
This year, 56% of the countries covered by the index improved their scores, but only 24% made progress across all three core dimensions: security, sustainability and equity.
These gains are facing growing constraints, including grid congestion, delays in permitting processes and chronic underinvestment in emerging economies. New pressures, such as trade restrictions and disruptions linked to conflicts, are adding to these challenges.
As for transition readiness, which indicates the direction of the energy transition, the long-term upward trend reversed for the first time in more than a decade. Financing and investment declined by 1.8% compared with 2025. Regulation, political commitment and innovation also weakened.
Africa's energy transition leaders in 2026:
Namibia (61st globally)
Tunisia (62nd)
Gabon (66th)
South Africa (69th)
Morocco (72nd)
Mauritius (73rd)
Cameroon (78th)
Nigeria (80th)
Egypt (84th)
Ghana (85th)
Kenya (87th)
Algeria (94th)
Angola (97th)
Côte d’Ivoire (100th)
Senegal (101st)
Zambia (103rd)
Tanzania (104th)
Zimbabwe (107th)
Ethiopia (112th)
Mozambique (114th)
Botswana (119th)
Democratic Republic of Congo (120th)
