Africa Needs To Drive Its Own Climate Change Agenda, Says APPO.

By Simnikiwe Hlatshaneni and Ajong Mbapndah L

The African Petroleum Producers Organisation has lamented the heavy reliance African leaders have on foreign advice to drive domestic policy around climate change and energy production, APPO Secretary General Dr Omar Farouk Ibrahim has challenged African leaders to be more discerning and critical of advisers and foreign experts who influence policy direction in African government.

Referring to climate change policies that affect mining and other economic activity in various African countries, Dr Farouk said African intellectuals were lazy and too quick to accept the points of view of foreign experts without questioning their agenda. This results in policies that don’t match the realities of African people nor address their needs adequately, he argued.  From advisers of African lawmakers who help draft government policies to civil society organisations lobbying lawmakers in these countries, decisions around climate change appear to arise from international experts whose opinions and information often goes unchecked, he suggests.

Speaking on the third day of Africa Energy Week (AEW) in Cape Town, South Africa, Dr Farouk did not mince his words as he blasted African intellectuals who failed to use discernment and critical thinking when foreign agendas clash with African realities.

“One of the challenges we face In Africa seriously is laziness of our intellectuals. There isn’t rigor in our intellectuals when issues are brought up for debate, they see what those who crafted an agenda come up... they don’t go back and critically look at the basis of the decision and opinions being expressed. Nobody comes to a discussion on the international scene without an agenda,” said Ibrahim.

“If you go to virtually every African country you find so many groups called civil society organisations fighting and championing climate matters. If we were to do a census or an investigation to see how these civil society organisations, including our media houses, are funded they are funded by climate activists from abroad.”

The third AEW saw thousands of delegates from Africa’s largest industry players in energy on the continent as well as several statesmen and ministers unite with a resounding call to take control of the African climate change agenda and end energy poverty on the continent. To many delegates this meant incorporating the need for reduced carbon emissions in Africa while prioritising an energy mix that included fossil fuels as well as renewable energy. They called for a ‘just transition’ into the renewable energy paradigm which may be slower than some international climate organisations may advise but will eventually help Africa grow its own capabilities in providing energy for its masses while growing and industrialising their economies. Around 4% of the world’s carbon emissions are from African countries, a figure significantly dwarfed by Eastern and Western superpowers like China, the United States of America (USA) and the European Union.

In 2015, at the advent of the global shift away from fossil fuels, members of APPO, which was then called APPA (African Petroleum Producers Association) agreed on major reform strategies to address the challenges posed by the transition to renewable energy. In September 2023, Ibrahim pointed out that many African countries had, with the discovery of oil and gas, gradually abandoned the mainstays of their national economies, becoming heavily reliant on revenue from these commodities.

A study conducted by the organisation found that the energy transition in Africa posed for major challenges, namely technology and expertise, funding, markets, and energy infrastructure. The organisation is in the process of pursuing solutions to these challenges to ensure that the over 125 billion barrels of proven oil and 650 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves sitting in APPO territory are not declared stranded assets as pressure for climate change reform mounts.