Africa is looking for the right energy mix to fill its deficit in this area while contributing to the fight against global warming. According to a report by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which campaigns for good governance on the continent, the energy transition in Africa must be based on both renewable energies and natural gas, the least polluting fossil fuel.
The report, titled Addressing Africa’s Energy Deficit: Climate Change, Renewables and Gas, published on September 22, recalls that 600 million Africans still do not have access to electricity and 900 million burn wood or coal for cooking. According to the document, “Rising energy demand is inevitable on the continent, whose population is expected to almost double by 2050.”
Africa currently represents 17% of the world’s population but only 6% of the world’s energy supply. Addressing this energy deficit, while taking into account the fight against global warming, requires the mobilization of the continent’s vast renewable resources. Essentially solar and wind, since large hydroelectric projects (dams) are now limited. Geothermal energy and hydrogen will also have a small role to play.
For solar, the continent has enormous potential but only 1.2% of the world’s installed capacity. As for wind energy, its exploitation has not yet started on the continent, with the exception of Morocco. During the decade 2010-2019, African States invested 47 billion dollars in clean energies, three times more than the previous decade but this is still very insufficient. The exploitation of this renewable energy potential will obviously require the disbursement of climate finance promised by rich countries to Africa, which is far from being the case today, the report asserts.
Renewables, by definition fluctuating, cannot alone provide the reliable energy needed to ensure economic development and widespread access to electricity in Africa. “While the continent is set to industrialize, fossil fuels are still needed for energy-intensive industries like steel and cement works.”
Thus, the African continent cannot afford to turn its back entirely on fossil fuels at the current stage. “Natural gas can also facilitate the phase-out of more polluting fossil fuels.” “Increasing its use in power generation will enable African countries to phase out the most polluting fuels such as coal, diesel, heavy fuel oil and traditional biomass.”
Also according to the report, increasing the share of gas in Africa’s energy mix will only marginally increase its share of global carbon emissions. “If all sub-Saharan African countries excluding South Africa tripled their electricity consumption using only natural gas, this would in effect add only 0.6% to global carbon emissions.”