Africa's Energy Upper Hand

Disruptions in the global energy supply chain offer the opportunity to fund development of export facilities and indigenous renewable infrastructure to Power Africa

BMWorldwide–WASHINGTON–The African Development Bank Group’s Annual Meetings in May will focus on the impact of climate change on Africa and the need for a just energy transition  on the continent, the Bank Group’s Secretary General said on Wednesday.

Professor Vincent Nmehielle spoke during a virtual press conference convened to brief journalists about the agenda of the five-day meetings, to be held from 23 to 27 May in Accra, Ghana. 

For the first time since 2019, many delegates at this year’s meetings: the 57th Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank and the 48th Annual Meeting of the African Development Fund, will meet in person.

Nmehielle said the theme, Achieving Climate Resilience, and a Just Energy Transition for Africa, was chosen to provide a framework for the governors of the Banks to share their experiences and engage in addressing climate change and energy transition challenges, as well as their policies and measures to deal with them.

“Governments will be able to show what their countries have done in this regard,” the Secretary General said. A key highlight during the Bank Group’s Annual Meetings will be a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional lending arm.

Nigeria LNG offers pathway for meeting global demand and climate crisis if funding allocated with the future of Africa in mind

BMWorldwide–LAGOS–Since 1989, Nigeria LNG has sent $42 billion (US) to the Nigerian government and attracted $17 billion in direct foreign investment, with prospects for accelerated growth in a turbulent global energy market.

Mozambique, Angola and South Africa are among the contintental powers close to entering the export market.   

However, the lessons of past commodity exporting which fail to meet the continent’s own energy needs must be paramount. The African Union’s Energy Division states: “The main objective of the Energy Development Strategies and Initiatives in Africa is to increase energy access to the African people, improve livelihoods and to ensure environmental sustainability.”

The African Energy Commission (AFREC) hosted a virtual ministerial high level meeting with the Ministers of Energy from the African Union Member States, to present the status of the African Energy Information System (AEIS), planned activities and challenges facing governments in relation to data collection, validation and processing at national and continental level.

The meeting, which took place on 17th March 2022 in Agiers, also sought political guidance from the Ministers and their governments on how to support and to ensure National Energy Information System (NEIS) effectively functions to process national data, with the view to resolve energy data demand and disparity across the continent. The African Energy Information System (AEIS) is a continental energy database which was developed in 2012 as part of the member states energy data demand.

In her key note address, H.E. Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission said, ‘‘we have been striving to harmonise our energy data on the continent as well as ensure that we have a hosting environment for Africa’s energy data. These efforts have been reinforced and improved through the existing African Energy Information System (AEIS), which was revamped in 2020. The revamp eliminates a lack of credible and quality energy data which is currently a big challenge on our continent’’.

‘‘To continue enhancing data capacity through data collection and validation at national level, AFREC has trained about 400 National Focal points (NFPs), qualified 40 selected NFPs to be trainers of others, and continue to provide advisory support to all AU Member States who submits energy data’’ She  underscored.

Currently, AFREC is also supporting eleven (11) AU Member States namely: Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Congo, Gabon, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Namibia, to establish or improve national energy information system and provide capacity building.