16 Extractives and Beyond: Managing the Energy Transition in Africa
471
fossil fuels to address the anticipated boom in urbanization; population growth; industrialization and also to tackle energy access challenges.
However, although it would be expected that these reasons would justify
softer transition measures or let’s call it ‘energy progression’, the world as
it stands is ready to embrace clean energy and this, in essence, has led to
a decline in investments in fossil fuels. African countries, therefore, need
to respond to this transition by setting up unique policies and strategies
that align with their energy and developmental goals. The book shows
how African countries are responding to energy transitions, and it offers
recommendations to African policymakers. In summary, we should be
reminded of these facts when discussing energy transitions on the African
continent:
• 600M 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).
• African countries are not climate change deniers: there are already
initiatives to transition to a low-carbon economy in Africa.
• African countries contribute less to carbon emissions.
While we are thinking about the future of the African Energy sector, we
must ask ourselves if it is better to have more people die from indoor
air pollution due to lack of access to modern energy? Is it better to have
more people die from preventable diseases because our healthcare services
are not equipped with modern energy? Or is it better to let more Africans
stay impoverished because most of them are below the poverty line and
their countries are still economically struggling and yet they are being
told they cannot utilize fossil fuels for their economic development?
Or should we embrace energy progression and have a softer transition
whereby finances are still made available for clean technology to exploit
fossil fuels on the African continent? These questions should guide the
international debate on energy transitions. The time is now for African
countries to address their energy and economic challenges in this global
471
fossil fuels to address the anticipated boom in urbanization; population growth; industrialization and also to tackle energy access challenges.
However, although it would be expected that these reasons would justify
softer transition measures or let’s call it ‘energy progression’, the world as
it stands is ready to embrace clean energy and this, in essence, has led to
a decline in investments in fossil fuels. African countries, therefore, need
to respond to this transition by setting up unique policies and strategies
that align with their energy and developmental goals. The book shows
how African countries are responding to energy transitions, and it offers
recommendations to African policymakers. In summary, we should be
reminded of these facts when discussing energy transitions on the African
continent:
• 600M 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).
• African countries are not climate change deniers: there are already
initiatives to transition to a low-carbon economy in Africa.
• African countries contribute less to carbon emissions.
While we are thinking about the future of the African Energy sector, we
must ask ourselves if it is better to have more people die from indoor
air pollution due to lack of access to modern energy? Is it better to have
more people die from preventable diseases because our healthcare services
are not equipped with modern energy? Or is it better to let more Africans
stay impoverished because most of them are below the poverty line and
their countries are still economically struggling and yet they are being
told they cannot utilize fossil fuels for their economic development?
Or should we embrace energy progression and have a softer transition
whereby finances are still made available for clean technology to exploit
fossil fuels on the African continent? These questions should guide the
international debate on energy transitions. The time is now for African
countries to address their energy and economic challenges in this global