COP27 conference must advance African energy, development – officials

By Hauwa Ali

Ahead of the COP27 climate conference in Egypt November 2022, African countries have been charged to secure a right to growth and power.

Senior officials from across the continent express worries that though African nations are rich in energy but yet underdeveloped.

Rich nations must not let concerns over emissions causing climate change hinder energy projects, including fossil fuels, energy leaders told the African Energy Forum in Brussels.

For many, the sanctions and reduced flows from Russia that have sent European countries scrambling to shore up their energy supplies from elsewhere is a boon, as the energy crunch drives up inflation and stokes recession fears.

“All the arguments we heard at COP26 are not the same anymore,” Cheikh Niane, vice petroleum minister of emerging gas power Senegal told Reuters.

“At COP27 we are expecting the G7 and all developed countries to consider in the energy transition letting African countries develop gas which finances electricity for our citizens and helps industrialize our countries”.