Africa is rich in untapped fossil fuel reserves, gaining interest from Western investors for export revenue. Especially in the years of the War in Ukraine, Western governments seek to provide an alternative to their reliance on Russian energy sources. Despite hosting 17% of the world’s population with vast natural gas reserves, Africa only supplies 6% of global energy. African governments are hoping to capitalise off of the War in Ukraine for increased fossil fuel exports. Critics point out that only 58% of the continent’s population has access to electricity, so African governments face a conflict between increasing economic output and ensuring that their citizens benefit from their increased energy production.

Interest from the West

Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the European Union (EU), responded to the invasion of Ukraine by cutting major gas supplies from Russia. In 2021, 45% of total gas imports to the EU were from Russia. Several European leaders have visited African nations in the past year in search of an alternative energy supply, including the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who signed a deal with Senegalese President Macky Sall to explore possible oil reserves for energy export to Europe.

Energy Investment in Africa

The African continent has some of the deepest natural gas reserves in the world. A lack of investment, poor infrastructure, and threats from armed groups in the Sahel region have hampered development in the past.

It is estimated that 600 million Africans do not have access to power, and a further 900 million do not have access to clean fuels for cooking. Politicians think that increased interest from Europe will provide the much-needed boost to the African energy market, employing thousands of Africans whilst leading governments to look further into providing their population with ample energy supplies. 

Looking to Senegal, President Sall stated that Senegal was ready to work towards supplying the European market with natural gas. 

Criticism

These projects have been received by critics as draining African energy supplies whilst providing little benefit to Africans themselves and contradicting Europe’s net-zero carbon emission aims.

Non-Governmental Organisation Germanwatch said that the projects in Senegal are unaligned with Germany’s own climate aims. “Even if natural gas causes fewer CO2 emissions, it is still a fossil fuel, and if the methane gas that escapes from the pipelines during extraction and transport, for example, is taken into account, it is by no means climate-friendly,” policy advisor Kerstin Opfer said. Climate policy researcher Niklas Höhne also criticised the gas plans by Senegal and Germany, stating that new gas infrastructure in Senegal would be “fatal for the climate”. Both organisations have also expressed concern over the uneven distribution of wealth generated from these projects.

As Europe looks to Africa to reduce the impact of cutting off Russian energy supplies, African nations are being provided with many economic opportunities. With 10 to 15 million Africans entering the job market every year, European investment in energy infrastructure may be a welcomed aid. However, a balance must be struck to ensure that these investments do not drain supplies away from the continent and can be used in a way that benefits the African population.