Exclusive: African civil society speaks out against continent’s $400bn gas trap

Civil society groups have spoken out against plans to develop new gas infrastructure across Africa, as an investigation from Energy Monitor reveals that $400bn worth of new projects are on the way. 

The figure is based on a new analysis of exclusive datasets provided by GlobalData, Energy Monitor’s parent company, and includes planned upstream, midstream and downstream developments. In all, it is worth around 15% of the entire GDP of Africa in 2021.

...Power Shift Africa’s Wemanya agrees the continent needs to “leapfrog the old, outdated and highly polluting energy systems that have failed to deliver dividends and energy access for Africans. 

“The prioritisation of investments and incentives towards renewable energy sources – which can provide reliable, affordable and universal access to low-carbon energy – must be the common approach for African governments and institutions such as the African Union.”