Columbia Global Energy Summit 2026 | Powering Development: Growth & Opportunity in the Global South

Nearly 700 million people around the world lack access to reliable electricity, and hundreds of millions more face energy systems too fragile or too expensive to support sustained economic growth. For many emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), the challenge goes beyond access: it is about building energy systems capable of underpinning industrialization, job creation, and long-term prosperity. That challenge is increasingly complex. Governments must balance the need for affordable and reliable energy—often met by coal and gas—with the imperative to expand lower-carbon alternatives. At the same time, they face constraints in financing, infrastructure, and institutional capacity, all amid rising geopolitical competition and economic fragmentation. This panel examined what it will take to scale energy systems in the Global South—mobilizing capital, strengthening investment frameworks, and building the infrastructure needed to support durable economic development—while navigating the competing pressures of affordability, sustainability, and energy security. Speakers: H.E. Rania Al-Mashat (Former Minister of Planning, Economic Development & International Cooperation, Egypt) Ashvin Dayal (Senior Vice President, Power, The Rockefeller Foundation) Kyung-Ah Park (Chief Sustainability Officer, Temasek) Samaila Zubairu (CEO, Africa Finance Corporation) Moderated by Jonathan Elkind (Senior Research Scholar, CGEP)