Energy Transition Africa

A high-resolution digital image of a South African open-pit mine, showing layers of excavation and industrial equipment, representing the country’s Critical Minerals Strategy.

From Raw Deals to Real Power: Can South Africa’s Critical Minerals Strategy Deliver?

South Africa has just made a bold move. Its newly unveiled Critical Minerals Strategy signals a shift from being a raw material supplier to a regional powerhouse in mineral beneficiation…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk May 28, 2025AfricaEnergyTransition, CriticalMinerals, CriticalMineralsAfrica, GreenIndustrialisation, SADC, SouthAfrica, ValueAddition

A middle-aged African miner stands in a muddy open-pit mine, highlighting the environmental and social costs of mining for critical minerals.

Community Impact

Beneath the Surface: How Zambia’s Mining Disaster Exposes the Human Cost of the Energy Transition

On a quiet morning last month, disaster struck in Zambia’s Copperbelt. A tailings dam at a Chinese-owned copper mine burst, releasing toxic sludge into the Kafue River. Communities downstream woke…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk May 27, 2025CopperMining, CriticalMinerals, CriticalMineralsAfrica, EnergyTransitionAfrica, EnvironmentalJustice, EthicalMining, SustainableAfrica, ZambiaMining

A group of African villagers, including children, sit and stand near a solar panel at sunset, symbolizing Africa’s aspiration for energy access through renewables.

Energy Transition

Mission 300: Africa’s Power Surge or Just Another Mirage?

Africa stands on the edge of an electrification revolution. The Mission 300 project, launched at the 2025 Sustainable Energy Dialogue, aims to provide electricity access to 300 million Africans by…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk May 26, 2025AfricaEnergyTransition, Electrification, EnergyAccess, GreenInfrastructure, JustTransition, Mission300, SustainableDevelopment

African miners excavating lithium and cobalt in an open-pit mine, highlighting the scramble for critical minerals in the energy transition.

Community Impact Critical Minerals

Africa’s New Scramble: The High Cost of Critical Minerals Without Justice

I once stood at a dusty roadside in Kolwezi, in the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s copper and cobalt belt, watching young boys haul sacks of ore barely…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk May 23, 2025AfricaMining, CriticalMinerals, EnergyTransitionAfrica, EthicalMining, GreenEnergyJustice, ResourceJustice, ValueAddition

Energy Transition

Green Goals, Grey Areas: The Politics of China-Africa Energy Relations

A few years ago, during a civil society exchange in Nairobi, a Kenyan energy advocate told me something that has stayed with me: “We’ve got panels. We’ve got Chinese engineers.…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk May 16, 2025Africa energy transition, AfricaTransition, BRI, ChinaAfricaRelations, CriticalMineralsAfrica, EnergyTransitionAfrica, FOCAC, GreenEnergyPolitics, renewable energy Africa, RenewableEnergyAfrica, ValueAddition

Silhouettes of an oil rig and pumpjack set against a dramatic red-orange sunset sky, symbolizing Africa’s rising fossil fuel activity amidst global climate discussions.

Fossil Fuel Phaseout

The Green Energy Lie? Why Africa’s Oil and Gas Licenses Just Hit a 10-Year High

Across Africa, oil and gas licensing is experiencing a sharp resurgence — even as the global chorus for climate action grows louder. According to Energy Capital & Power, more than…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk May 14, 2025African energy security, clean energy financing, climate justice, energy transition, Fossil fuel phaseout Africa, fossil fuels Africa, oil and gas exploration, renewable energy Africa

Four marine engineers in orange safety suits and helmets guide a thick, insulated power cable from the deck of a vessel into the sea during an offshore cable-laying operation.

Energy Transition

Powering Europe, Darkening Africa? The New Scramble for African Renewables

In 2025, as Europe scrambles to meet its climate goals and reduce dependence on Russian energy, a new frontier has emerged in the global race for clean power: Africa. Last…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk May 12, 2025Africa energy transition, Africa-Europe energy trade, electricity access, energy colonialism, energy justice, EnergyAccess, green colonialism, just transition, renewable energy Africa

A rural African woman walks past a disconnected solar panel installation beside her home, highlighting the disconnect between climate finance pledges and on-ground energy access.

Energy Transition

Pledges and Power Cuts: How Climate Finance Is Failing Africa

The promises came wrapped in billion-dollar ribbons. At COP summits, in glossy brochures, and during press conferences, world leaders pledged hundreds of billions for Africa’s clean energy future. But in…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk May 7, 2025Africa energy transition, ClimateFinance, ClimateJustice, EnergyAccess, EnergyPoverty, JustTransition, solarpower

An African miner working in a dusty open-pit mine, extracting lithium ore destined for global energy markets, highlighting the lack of local mineral processing.

Critical Minerals

We Dig, They Win: How Africa’s Raw Mineral Exports and Currency Chaos Are Undermining a Just Transition

Every day, truckloads of lithium, cobalt, and manganese leave African soil headed for China, Europe, and North America. These are the building blocks of the energy transition—used in solar panels,…

Vincent Egoro April 21, 2025AfricaTransition, CriticalMineralsAfrica, CurrencyVolatility, EnergyJustice, JustTransition, NigeriaMining, ValueAddition

Critical Minerals

Africa Can’t Afford Another Raw Deal: Why Value Addition Must Power the Green Transition

The African Development Bank (AfDB) recently sent a clear message: Africa must stop exporting raw critical minerals and start building local value chains. As someone deeply involved in the continent’s…

Vincent Egoro April 17, 2025AfDB, AfricaTransition, CriticalMineralsAfrica, GreenEconomy, JustTransition, LocalProcessing, ValueAddition