Energy Transition Africa

African women sitting near a railway, observing a mineral freight train passing through their village.

Beyond the Tracks: What Africa’s Mining Corridors Really Mean for the Communities They Bypass

"The trains pass, but we are still in the dark." That was the quiet but piercing remark of Mariam, a farmer in northern Zambia, whose family was relocated to make…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 4, 2025Africa infrastructure, community voices, critical minerals, displacement, energy transition, just transition, land rights, mining corridors

A group of African miners raise their fists in solidarity at a critical mineral site, symbolising unity and resistance.

Community Impact Energy Transition

Not Just Green Jobs: African Miners Say the ‘Just Transition’ Is Failing Them

"If our bodies fuel the transition, then we deserve a seat at the table." That was the message from a miner’s union leader in Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk June 30, 2025Africa mining, community impact, critical minerals, energy transition, green minerals, just transition, labour rights, worker safety

A proud African woman stands confidently in front of a rural solar panel installation, symbolising community-led clean energy solutions.

Community Impact Energy Transition

Voices from the Just Transition: Africa’s Rural Clean Energy Revolution

"We used to deliver babies by candlelight. Now we have light, and we can save more lives." That was the quiet but powerful testimony of Ruth, a midwife in rural…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk June 25, 2025Africa, clean energy, community stories, decentralised energy, energy access, just transition, renewable energy, rural communities, women energy leaders

An expansive industrial mining site in Africa with heavy machinery extracting minerals under a dusty sky.

Community Impact Critical Minerals Energy Transition

Green Minerals, Grey Realities: Can Africa Avoid Another Resource Curse?

Across the plains of Namibia, the copper belt of the DRC, and the lithium fields of Zimbabwe, a quiet race is underway. It’s not a new one, though the names…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk June 20, 2025Africa Mining Vision, AU, beneficiation, cobalt, critical minerals, DRC, green minerals, just transition, lithium, RECs, resource curse, Zimbabwe

A vast solar farm stretching across an arid African landscape with a lone technician inspecting the panels.

Community Impact Energy Transition

Beyond the Buzzwords: Why Africa’s Energy Transition Must Centre People, Not Just Technology

Across conference halls, government roundtables and investor summits, the phrase “energy transition” echoes with growing urgency. Africa is expected to move from energy poverty into a renewable-powered future. Solar mini-grids,…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk June 16, 2025Africa renewables, climate finance, community energy, energy access, energy justice, just transition, women in energy

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

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

A rural African woman and child illuminated by a kerosene lamp in a dark home, symbolizing the energy poverty crisis affecting millions without access to electricity.

Community Impact Energy Transition

Africa’s Forgotten 400 Million: Why Energy Poverty Is a Climate Injustice

I grew up in Cross River State, Nigeria, where dense forests meet vibrant communities. Even today, when I return home, I am struck by the reality that many of the…

Vincent Egoro April 10, 2025AfricaDevelopment, CleanEnergyNow, ClimateJustice, EnergyAccess, EnergyPoverty

Community Impact Critical Minerals

Batteries for the West, Burdens for Africa: The Cost of Green Minerals

As the world accelerates toward a net-zero future, Africa is rapidly becoming the ground zero for green energy’s raw materials. Cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lithium from…

Vincent Egoro April 1, 2025Africa energy transition, African mining governance, civil society and extractives, clean energy injustice, cobalt DRC, community rights mining, environmental justice, green minerals Africa, just energy transition, lithium mining Africa

Solar installer’s hand adjusting panel, bringing clean energy to an off-grid village in Africa

Community Impact Energy Transition

Solar Mini-Grids and Their Impact on Rural Communities in Africa

In a small farming village in northern Kenya, a quiet revolution is underway. A community that once relied on smoky kerosene lamps and long treks to distant markets now hums…

Vincent Egoro March 28, 2025Africa energy transition, clean energy, community empowerment, energy access Africa, renewable energy Africa, rural electrification, solar mini-grids, sustainable development