1 How to Respond to Energy Transitions in Africa …
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• The high costs of renewables.
• The anticipated role of fossil fuels to meet energy demand for the
growing population in Africa.
• Role of fossil fuels for economic growth including urbanization and
industrialization on the African continent.
The current global energy transition debate does not take into consideration the impacts this is likely to have on the African continent. It
is true, there some visible initiatives such as the establishment of the
Green Climate Fund (GCF), however, the financial contribution from
the developed countries is not enough to address the social, economic
and energy challenges experienced on the African continent. Furthermore, one might ask if the GCF contributions are enough to also cater
for an increase in population growth expected on the African continent?
According to BP, population growth is estimated to increase by around
1.7 billion to reach nearly 9.2 billion people in 2040. The global boom
in urbanization is projected to increase, as almost 2 billion more people
are likely to live in urban centres by 2040 and Africa is projected to
contribute one-third of this increasing urbanization.
33 All these, therefore, have inspired the need to rethink the concept of ‘energy transition’
especially on the African continent, as discussed in the section below.
1.3.1 Understanding Energy Transition
The word ‘transit’ in general connotes the meaning of moving from one
place to another. A basic understanding of the word ‘transition’ is vital in
understanding energy transitions. The Oxford dictionary defines ‘transition’ as ‘the process or a period of changing from one state or condition
to another’.
34 The Cambridge English dictionary, on the other hand,
33 BP. 2018. BP Energy Outlook: 2018 Edition. https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/businesssites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/energy-economics/energy-outlook/bpenergy-outlook-2018.pdf.
34 Oxford Dictionary. 2019. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/transition.
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• The high costs of renewables.
• The anticipated role of fossil fuels to meet energy demand for the
growing population in Africa.
• Role of fossil fuels for economic growth including urbanization and
industrialization on the African continent.
The current global energy transition debate does not take into consideration the impacts this is likely to have on the African continent. It
is true, there some visible initiatives such as the establishment of the
Green Climate Fund (GCF), however, the financial contribution from
the developed countries is not enough to address the social, economic
and energy challenges experienced on the African continent. Furthermore, one might ask if the GCF contributions are enough to also cater
for an increase in population growth expected on the African continent?
According to BP, population growth is estimated to increase by around
1.7 billion to reach nearly 9.2 billion people in 2040. The global boom
in urbanization is projected to increase, as almost 2 billion more people
are likely to live in urban centres by 2040 and Africa is projected to
contribute one-third of this increasing urbanization.
33 All these, therefore, have inspired the need to rethink the concept of ‘energy transition’
especially on the African continent, as discussed in the section below.
1.3.1 Understanding Energy Transition
The word ‘transit’ in general connotes the meaning of moving from one
place to another. A basic understanding of the word ‘transition’ is vital in
understanding energy transitions. The Oxford dictionary defines ‘transition’ as ‘the process or a period of changing from one state or condition
to another’.
34 The Cambridge English dictionary, on the other hand,
33 BP. 2018. BP Energy Outlook: 2018 Edition. https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/businesssites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/energy-economics/energy-outlook/bpenergy-outlook-2018.pdf.
34 Oxford Dictionary. 2019. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/transition.