Energy Transition Africa

African child carrying sack of ore in foreground, with wind turbines and solar panels in background under sunrise.

Finance or Folly? How Climate Capital Is Fueling Mining Abuses in Africa

In recent climate weeks, the buzzwords were everywhere: “green capital,” “just transition,” “unlocking climate finance.” On panels, participants nodded in agreement about the trillions needed to accelerate the energy transition.…

Vincent Egoro October 3, 2025Africa energy transition, climate finance mining Africa, critical minerals, just transition, mining governance, resource justice

Fossil Fuel Phaseout

Fossil Fuel Revenues in Decline: Who Pays for Africa’s Transition?

During one of my earliest visits to the Niger Delta, I met a fisherman who showed me the mangroves where his father had worked. The waters were slick with oil,…

Vincent Egoro September 22, 2025Africa energy transition, Africa fossil fuel revenues decline, Climate justice Africa, concessional finance Africa, critical minerals Africa, debt relief climate finance Africa, fossil fuel phase-out Africa, just transition Africa

African miners at open-pit site with ore moving toward ports and global markets, symbolising critical minerals supply chain.

Critical Minerals Governance & Transparency

Critical Minerals Circuits: Who Controls the Chain from Mine to Market?

Critical minerals have become the backbone of the global energy transition. Lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, and rare earths are essential inputs for batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels.…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk September 17, 2025Africa energy transition, Africa supply chain, Africa trade policy, critical minerals Africa, just transition Africa, lithium cobalt Africa, mining value addition, resource governance Africa

Stack of debt paperwork with African farmland split between drought and flood, symbolising climate finance challenges.

Energy Transition

Adaptation or Debt? Africa’s $50 Billion Dilemma

A summit of promises and risks The second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa closed with bold headlines: African leaders committed to mobilise $50 billion a year for climate solutions…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk September 12, 2025adaptation finance Africa, Africa climate finance, Africa climate summit, Africa COP30 negotiations, Africa debt crisis climate, Africa energy transition, Climate justice Africa, loans vs grants climate

Cargo ship with containers in foreground, solar panels and wind turbines under construction in background, symbolising Africa’s energy transition.

Governance & Transparency

Resource Nationalism and Renewable Finance: Africa’s Moment to Rise

From Abuja to Kinshasa, the tone of Africa’s energy debates is shifting. For decades, the continent’s mineral wealth was extracted and exported with little local value. Fossil fuels promised prosperity…

Vincent Egoro September 5, 2025Africa climate finance, Africa energy transition, Africa resource nationalism, critical minerals Africa, ESG Africa, just transition Africa, local value addition Africa, renewable energy Africa

African power lines at dusk with overlaid currency symbols, representing local-currency climate finance as a COP30 demand.

Energy Transition

Finance in Local Currency: A COP30 Demand for Africa’s Energy Transition

At first glance, Africa’s energy transition looks as though it is finally gaining speed. Solar imports are at record highs, wind farms are sprouting across the Sahel, and hydro projects…

Vincent Egoro August 29, 2025Africa climate finance, Africa energy transition, Climate justice Africa, COP30 Africa, finance in local currency, FX risk Africa, just energy transition Africa, renewable energy Africa

Fossil Fuel Phaseout

Africa Won’t Phase Out on Promises: Fossil Fuel Exit Demands Finance, FX and Grids

As the world looks ahead to next month’s Africa Climate Summit, negotiators are already circling one contentious phrase: “transitioning away from fossil fuels.” For African delegates, the lesson from past…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk August 27, 2025Africa energy transition, AGN position, climate finance, climate finance Africa, Fossil fuel phaseout Africa, FX risk renewables, grid investment Africa, renewable energy Africa

African city with diesel generator and flickering lightbulb in foreground, solar panels and sunrise in background — symbolising outdated zombie energy systems blocking renewable transition.

Energy Transition

Africa’s Zombie Energy Systems: The Hidden Barrier Stalling a Just Transition

The paradox of darkness in the age of sunlight On a humid evening in Lagos, a shopkeeper wheels out a diesel generator, its rattle and fumes filling the street as…

Energy Transition Africa Editorial Desk August 20, 2025Africa energy transition, energy poverty Africa, financing energy Africa, outdated energy infrastructure Africa, regional power pools Africa, renewable energy Africa, solar potential Africa, zombie energy systems

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

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