1 How to Respond to Energy Transitions in Africa …
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Table 1.2 Key facts to consider in the energy transition debate
Goal 7 of the UN SDG is focused on universal access to modern energy: yet
600 M people in Africa lack access to modern energy
2 billion people are likely to live in urban centres by 2040 (one-third of this
from Africa)
Population growth estimated to increase by around 1.7 billion to reach 9.2
billion people in 2040 (Africa at the centre of this)
Impacts of climate change are visible in different parts of the globe
Energy transition happening in different phases in developed and developing
countries
The immediate effect of the transition is a decline in investments in fossil
fuels (financial risks)
Developing countries still need fossil fuels to tackle energy access challenges;
and for the anticipated boom in urbanization, population growth and
industrialization
African countries are not climate change deniers: there are already initiatives
to transition to a low-carbon economy in Africa
New strategies needed to ensure that African countries capitalize on their
fossil fuels and at the same time be mindful of the environment
Efforts are taken at the international level likely to negatively impact African
countries
African countries contribute less to carbon emissions
The progressive nature of energy use is real, so African countries should be
allowed to progress not transition
Need to review policies and contract provisions for fossil fuels:
decommissioning might come earlier than expected
The energy transition pressure was evident in Europe in 2018 when
protests erupted in France by the ‘gilets jaunes’, who have complained
about the sharp increase in diesel taxes—taxes motivated by environmental and climate concerns. A transition in the energy sector is capable
of having a significant impact on the ways of life of different people,
both socially and economically. This has proved right in France and,
in this regard, while suspending the fuel tax increase, the French Prime
Minister Édouard Philippe, in a statement noted that he understood the
protestors’ anger, ‘…it is the anger of the French who work and work hard,
but still have difficulty making ends meet, who find their backs against the
wall. They have a sense of profound injustice at not being able to live a
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Table 1.2 Key facts to consider in the energy transition debate
Goal 7 of the UN SDG is focused on universal access to modern energy: yet
600 M people in Africa lack access to modern energy
2 billion people are likely to live in urban centres by 2040 (one-third of this
from Africa)
Population growth estimated to increase by around 1.7 billion to reach 9.2
billion people in 2040 (Africa at the centre of this)
Impacts of climate change are visible in different parts of the globe
Energy transition happening in different phases in developed and developing
countries
The immediate effect of the transition is a decline in investments in fossil
fuels (financial risks)
Developing countries still need fossil fuels to tackle energy access challenges;
and for the anticipated boom in urbanization, population growth and
industrialization
African countries are not climate change deniers: there are already initiatives
to transition to a low-carbon economy in Africa
New strategies needed to ensure that African countries capitalize on their
fossil fuels and at the same time be mindful of the environment
Efforts are taken at the international level likely to negatively impact African
countries
African countries contribute less to carbon emissions
The progressive nature of energy use is real, so African countries should be
allowed to progress not transition
Need to review policies and contract provisions for fossil fuels:
decommissioning might come earlier than expected
The energy transition pressure was evident in Europe in 2018 when
protests erupted in France by the ‘gilets jaunes’, who have complained
about the sharp increase in diesel taxes—taxes motivated by environmental and climate concerns. A transition in the energy sector is capable
of having a significant impact on the ways of life of different people,
both socially and economically. This has proved right in France and,
in this regard, while suspending the fuel tax increase, the French Prime
Minister Édouard Philippe, in a statement noted that he understood the
protestors’ anger, ‘…it is the anger of the French who work and work hard,
but still have difficulty making ends meet, who find their backs against the
wall. They have a sense of profound injustice at not being able to live a