Energy Transition Africa

African woman cooking on a traditional three-stone fire with smoke rising, representing energy poverty and the need for clean cooking solutions in rural Africa.

Who Bears the Burden? Gender and the Energy Transition in Africa

Grace, a mother of four in rural Zambia, wakes before dawn to trek miles for firewood. She balances heavy bundles on her head, prepares meals over a smoky three-stone fire.…

Vincent Egoro August 18, 2025Africa, Energy Poverty in Africa, Gender and Energy Transition in Africa, Gender and Just Energy Transition, just transition, Value Addition of Critical Minerals in SADC, Women and Clean Energy Access

African climate leader at summit podium, with oil rigs and protests on one side and clean energy projects on the other, representing the tension in Africa’s fossil phase-out.

Fossil Fuel Phaseout

Fossil Fuel Phase-Out in Africa: Treaty, Trap or Turning Point?

In the corridors of global climate diplomacy, a new treaty is taking shape. The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, backed by climate leaders like Kumi Naidoo and supported by a growing…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk August 1, 2025Africa, climate justice, DRC, energy transition, fossil fuel phase-out, fossil fuel treaty, Ghana, global south, ICJ, Kumi Naidoo, Uganda

African miner beside a cobalt pit with an industrial plant on the horizon, representing Africa’s move from raw exports to mineral beneficiation.

Critical Minerals

Beyond Raw Minerals: Can Africa Benefit from Its Critical Mineral Wealth?

In Kolwezi, in the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the earth gives way to cobalt-rich soil. Every morning, hundreds of artisanal miners, many without helmets or boots,…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 30, 2025Africa, artisanal mining, cobalt, critical minerals, DRC, Ghana, green transition, lithium, resource nationalism, Sierra Leone, value addition

Fossil Fuel Phaseout

Fossil Exit or Justice Denied? Africa’s Fight to Lead Its Own Energy Future

In Abuja, oil still smells like prosperity. Along the congested streets of Warri or Takoradi, diesel generators hum a familiar tune of survival. For decades, the promise of oil has…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 28, 2025Africa, climate finance, climate justice, energy sovereignty, fossil fuel exit, Ghana, Nigeria, oil and gas, OPEC, World Bank

African civil society representative at a negotiation table with climate adaptation maps and debt documents, symbolising Africa’s struggle between fiscal obligations and climate action.

Energy Transition

Debt-for-Climate Swaps: Lifeline or Leash for Africa’s Green Future?

Everybody frames swaps as innovation. But who controls the script, and who ends up on the cutting room floor? Debt-for-climate swaps are enjoying a moment. Policymakers and international institutions are…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 25, 2025Africa, Civil Society, climate finance, climate justice, debt swaps, donor influence, global south, green transition, multilateral banks, sovereign debt

African speaker at podium with climate finance map of Africa behind him and donor logos including World Bank, EU, and USAID.

Governance & Transparency

Who’s Funding Africa’s Transition? The Hidden Gatekeepers of Green Finance

Billions are pledged. But who decides who gets them, and on whose terms? Across Africa, the energy transition has become more than a technical debate. It’s a question of power,…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 23, 2025Africa, climate funds, climate justice, development finance, energy transition, funding pipelines, green finance, JETP, just transition, multilateral banks

Climate protesters holding signs in front of a government building lit by fossil fuel-powered lights at dusk in an African city.

Fossil Fuel Phaseout

Oil is Still Paying the Bills: Can African Governments Afford to Let Go?

It is easy to call for an end to fossil fuels from a podium in Paris. Much harder when you are in Abuja, Luanda or Brazzaville, facing empty treasuries, unpaid…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 21, 2025Africa, Civil Society, climate justice, debt, energy transition, fossil fuels, green finance, just transition, oil revenue, subsidies

African coal town residents contrast with foreign consultants managing climate funds

Community Impact Energy Transition

Who Truly Benefits from Just Transitions in Africa? The Rising Tide of Elite Extraction

In recent years, Africa has been hailed as a leader in designing just transitions, energy shifts that protect both the planet and people. Among the most ambitious is the Just…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 16, 2025Africa, climate finance, coal transition, community inclusion, critical minerals, energy justice, JETP, just transition

African officials stand near a mine site enforcing mineral export bans

Critical Minerals

Africa’s Resource Revolution: How Raw Minerals Are Becoming Gold Mines for Local Value

Africa is in the midst of a quiet revolution. One that sees nations taking a firmer hold over the minerals beneath their feet. From Mali’s dramatic seizure of Barrick’s gold…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 14, 2025Africa, critical minerals, economic sovereignty, just transition, mineral exports, resource nationalism, value addition

Rural African women and child near huts with a large gas flare burning in the distance at sunset.

Fossil Fuel Phaseout

Fossil Fuel Phaseout? Why Africa’s Climate Plans Tell a Different Story

At every global climate conference, the message is always clear: the world must end fossil fuel use. The speeches are moving and fast. Scientists warn of the dangers of coal,…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk July 11, 2025Africa, climate plans, energy justice, energy transition, fossil fuel phaseout, fossil fuels, NDCs, Nigeria energy, renewable energy