The International Energy Agency (IEA) has been working closely with South Africa's G20 Presidency this year to support discussions on key international energy issues.
As an official partner of the G20 South African Presidency, the IEA is actively contributing to the Sherpa and Finance Tracks, as well as the Taskforce 1 on Inclusive Economic Growth, Industrialisation, Employment and Reduced Inequality.
This collaborative partnership is based on the two-year Joint Work Programme which sets out the guiding framework for bilateral cooperation and activities between the IEA and South Africa for the 2025-2026 period. The JWP was signed by South Africa’s Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and Executive Director of the IEA Dr Fatih Birol on June 6. The JWP reinforces the IEA’s support to South Africa’s G20 Presidency and underscores the strength of the partnership between the IEA and South Africa since the country joined the IEA family in 2018.
In October, Deputy Executive Director Mary Burce Warlick travelled to Durban for the G20 Energy Transitions Ministerial Meeting, where she addressed ministers and met with energy leaders from around the world. The IEA also published several new reports to support the energy priorities that South Africa's Presidency has laid out – including energy security, affordability, reliable access, and interconnectivity across Africa.
Speaking in Durban, Warlick highlighted the IEA’s work on efforts to expand electricity and clean cooking access and to help African economies move up the energy value chain for long-term economic growth. At an IEA-organised side event, discussions focused on opportunities for clean technology manufacturing, the beneficiation of critical minerals, and energy-intensive commodities in Africa. The event drew on the IEA report, Stepping Up the Value Chain in Africa.
Warlick also co-chaired with Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa a meeting of the Global Commission on People-Centred Clean Energy Transitions where participants discussed how governments can ensure energy policies are fair and inclusive and how to track progress on this. The meeting coincided with the release of an Indicators Handbook for Just & Inclusive Energy Transitions.
The IEA also released a booklet on Best Practices on Regional Power System Interconnectivity. This draws on discussions held earlier this year, at the third Energy Transitions Working Group meeting in July, where the IEA co-organised a workshop on G20 regional integration and regulatory cooperation. The workshop served to inform the development of the booklet on best practices, documenting actionable regulatory and policy solutions for accelerating interconnection, planning and implementation. In partnership with the African Development Bank, African regulators and power pools, the IEA’s expertise on regional interconnectivity supports the harmonisation of regulatory frameworks, enabling of cross-border trade, and development of the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM).
During her visit, Warlick discussed a range of broader energy issues in bilateral meetings with African Union Commissioner Lerato Mataboge; India’s Minister of Power Manohar Lal Khattar; the Netherlands’ Deputy Prime Minister Sophie Hermans, who is chairing the 2026 IEA Ministerial Meeting; Norway’s State Secretary Astrid Bergmål; South Africa's Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy Samantha Graham-Maré; and Singapore's Minister of State Gan Siow Huang.
The IEA Deputy Executive Director also addressed leaders at the G20 Nuclear Energy Ministerial convened by the International Atomic Energy Agency where she noted the IEA’s analysis showing nuclear energy is making a comeback and can contribute to secure and sustainable power in the countries that opt to use it.
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