By Yemi Olakitan
Civil society organisations (CSOs) throughout Africa have called on the African Union to take a more ambitious role in achieving a fossil-free energy future in Africa as the 36th Ordinary Session begins in Ethiopia.
CSOs are distributing the “Fossil Fuelled Fallacy Report” to Heads of State and Ministers at the AU meeting to show how expanding gas production in Africa would undermine almost every aspect of development, increasing risks of stranded assets and expensive energy, encouraging foreign ownership of African resources, reducing jobs, and harming health and livelihoods across the continent.
The report launched by Don’t Gas Africa and the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative at COP27, shows that the “dash for gas” is a short-sighted strategy to profit from the energy crisis, where the fossil fuel industry has misappropriated climate justice language to legitimize a massive expansion of fossil fuels across Africa.
The AU Summit offers the continent a chance to increase energy access and speed up the clean energy transition. The AU Summit may entrench fossil fuel consumption.
The African Union did not respond to the 300+ CSO signatures voicing these concerns.
African leaders can define and set a unified narrative for a swift transition to people-centred, clean, renewable energy for the continent and the world at the AU summit.
Civil society organisations have urged the African Union to reject fossil gas production as a foundation for Africa’s energy future and eliminate fossil-fuel-induced energy apartheid, which has left 600 million Africans without energy.
The CSOs argued that in the face of a climate emergency, it is more important than ever to leapfrog to a cleaner, safer, and more affordable renewable energy future.
They stated that a swift and just transition to renewable energy offers Africa a chance to revitalize its development and fulfill Agenda 2063.
They warned that fossil gas cannot deliver jobs, energy access, or a renewable transition to Africa.
Gas expansion will not increase jobs. In a “well below” 2°C warming scenario, the “Fossil Fuel Fallacy Report” predicts a 75% decline in fossil fuel production jobs by 2050, with 80% of the losses coming from upstream production.
Gas growth will not give 600 million Africans energy access. Several gas expansion plans for export to Europe will take 10–20 years to complete. These proposals export electricity and earnings from Africa without helping Africans without power.
Renewable investments can be online in months and start delivering energy to people this year. Africa can supply 250 times our electricity consumption using wind power.
Gas expansion does not support renewable transition. Gas investments divert funds from dispersed, clean, and affordable renewable energy. Gas growth only keeps us in the past.
African leaders were invited to use the AU Summit to start an open and meaningful engagement with citizens and policymakers to construct a shared African energy narrative and an agenda to address climate, energy, and development issues.
The AU should develop a science-based African energy access and transition perspective based on these conversations. This approach must end the cycle of energy system dumping, when filthy, dangerous, and antiquated fossil fuels and nuclear energy systems no longer wanted in Europe are pushed into Africa under the guise of “investment and partnership.” Obsolete technology that pollute and impoverish Africa must not be dumped there.
“African Union endorsement of fossil gas as a ‘transition fuel’ would lock in both a failure to uphold the Paris Agreement and near certain amplification of climate consequences and catastrophes for its people.”
African CSOs want the African Union to abandon fossil fuels and adopt a clean, renewable, democratic, and people-centred energy system.
“We urge our leaders at the AU conference to reject the misleading false promises of fossil gas expansions, and embrace the renewable future that will bring Africa true hope and prosperity,” they said.
Lorraine Chiponda, Africa Climate Movement Building Space Coordinator, said: “We ask African leaders to co-create a just development path along with African people that is clean, pan-African, and advocates people’s regenerative economies away from fossil fuels. We shouldn’t let colonial and extractive structures lead Africa to fossil fuel extraction.”
350Africa.org Regional Director Landry Ninteretse said, “We’re in a climate emergency that is producing increasingly devastating climate impacts, particularly in Africa where adaptation capability is still inadequate. African nations cannot solve global problems alone. This necessitates a just energy transition away from fossil fuels to achieve climate resilience.
“Fossil gas expansion in Africa would push out renewable energy and dampen energy transformation ambitions. We urge African leaders to reject gas development in Africa and instead mobilize resources from rich nations to support renewable, community-centred, and accessible clean energy systems necessary to a just energy transition in the region.”
“Gas is a bridge to nowhere and will not alleviate energy access concerns on our continent,” stated African Climate Reality Project Campaigner Courtney Morgan. Policymakers should encourage sustainable alternatives for a fossil-free Africa. We desire a clean, sustainable, and accessible energy system in Africa. We need African-led sustainable solutions, not a neo-colonial gas project that would worsen the climate problem.
Don’t Gas Africa Campaigns Head Dean Bhekumuzi Bhebhe: “African land is not a gas station. Due to the fossil fuel business, millions are losing homes, food, health, and falling into extreme poverty.
“Instead of giving fossil fuel extraction rights to giant international businesses, African authorities should invest in clean, renewable energies that will directly benefit people across the continent without hurting their health.”
