By Ajong Mbapndah L
The Senior Vice-President of the African Energy Chamber, Verner Ayukegba, has stated that access to reliable and affordable power is the only road to development and industrialization in Africa.
Addressing the Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly on Monday, February 19, 20024, in Luanda, Angola, Ayukegba expressed the Africa Energy Chamber’s commitment to investing in the energy sector to ensure all Africans have access to power to drive them out of poverty.
He reiterated that Africa’s main focus now is access to power, noting that without reliable and affordable access to power, education, agriculture, health, mining and employment are negatively impacted.
Ayukegba revealed worrying statistics about energy access in the continent, indicating the chamber has a significant role in ensuring sufficient energy access.
“We have more than 600 million Africans who have no access to reliable and affordable energy which is about half of the population. And we have about 900 million people who have zero access to clean cooking fuel, most of them women and children,” said Mr. Ayukegba.
At the same time, the bold Ayukegba noted that the transition from coal to other energy sources should be fair and realistic to be people-driven and accepted in Africa.
The Vice President maintained the chamber’s position that the continent should industrialize rather than be forced by European counterparts to abandon coal, the region’s primary resource.
While acknowledging the importance of transition, he advised the drivers of the energy transition to let Africa use its available resources to develop and transition at its own pace.
“Europe was able to take out more than half of their population in a concise space of time, due to the development of coal as a fuel, which led to the Industrial Revolution and was able to ultimately, in a people-centric manner, lead to people being taken out of poverty. Now, Africa wants the same,” added Ayukegba.
“We cannot transition in Luanda, Lagos, Douala, the same as in London, Berlin, Paris , and New York.”
Mr. Ayukegba stated that solar energy, while widely regarded as the best alternative, lacks a baseload to support industrialization.
He questioned why Africa is being forced to transition away from coal despite having only 3% emissions, arguing that the West should decarbonize while Africa industrializes. Ayukegba also demanded that the countries that contribute the most pollution be fined.
In addition, he found it ironic that European nations forcing Africa to stop using coal were importing the same fuel from South Africa, the continent’s leading coal producer.
Ayukegba advocated increased investment in the gas and hydro industries to improve Africa’s industrial security. He also suggested collaborative projects between African countries and joint financing with the West.
The Africa-EU Regional Parliamentary Assembly (RPA) is a relatively new institution established under the new Post-Cotonou Agreement between the European Union and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) states.
Its goal is to improve parliamentary cooperation and dialogue between African parliamentarians and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
