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  • Making Compelling Case for Natural Gas

    Opinion Piece

    By: NJ Ayuk

    When most people hear the word “gas,” they’re automatically inclined to think about the type of gas that pumps directly into their fuel tank. But although petroleum gas is the most common gasoline fuel we encounter daily, it is only one “type” of gas.

    By speaking of gas, we also may refer to “natural gas,” which (although it shares similarities) is intrinsically different from petroleum-based gasoline as a whole.

    Like oil, natural gas is a resource that is extraordinarily abundant in Africa and many other countries around the globe. As a result, I’ve observed a renewed interest in natural gas in the last several months.

    The need for alternative energy doesn’t require us to overlook fuel sources at our fingertips entirely. For example, despite being commonly roped in with petroleum-based fuel, natural gas burns significantly cleaner than oil and coal.

    Being an emission-friendly fuel, natural gas can absolutely serve us in our objective of building a greener future.

    Redefining Natural Gas

    It’s easy to overlook things that we don’t have direct involvement with. For example, most people only think about natural gas when their stove or water heater ceases working.

    As a result, many people aren’t even aware of how natural gas is derived — let alone its molecular composition.

    In my objective to help educate people and empower them with knowledge about the vast and varied world of energy, it wouldn’t hurt to provide a refresher on what natural gas actually is and how it is obtained.

    Put simply, natural gas (like crude oil) is an energy source formed by fossil fuels under pressure deep beneath the earth’s surface. Natural gas is made up of many different compounds, but the largest of these is methane, a compound composed of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms.

    The process of extracting natural gas involves drilling into subsurface rock formations. Modern advancements in hydraulic fracturing (colloquially known as “fracking”) have allowed us to draw upon immense volumes of subsurface natural gas.

    Natural gas can be used as a clean-burning fuel to power many of the same devices and operations as oil-based petroleum and can burn with significantly higher efficiency and cleanliness.

    Electricity Powered by Natural Gas

    Electricity is the end product needed for our lifestyles to carry on in the way we’re used to. But what are the sources required to generate electricity?

    Solar may be highlighted as the most renewable energy source of them all. Still, natural gas-powered plants can produce vast amounts of electricity with much higher output than coal-burning power plants.

    Although natural gas is a hydrocarbon that produces the pollutant carbon dioxide, it outputs around 50-60% less carbon dioxide than coal and approximately 30% less carbon dioxide than oil.

    Working With Today’s Materials to Build Tomorrow

    Natural gas reservoirs are abundant and ready to serve our objectives in developing manageable, environmentally friendly energy technologies.

    While we sculpt our plans to build a more energy-efficient future via solar and other innovative technologies, we can make intelligent use of the materials at our disposal today — resting comfortably with the knowledge that they are also serving our goals toward lowering global emissions.

    Hearing global leaders and corporations carry out more serious discussions about natural gas’ role in our future’s ecosystem offers reassurance that there may indeed be a way to make a just transition between our present and future.

     

  • Namibia and Equatorial Guinea Youth-Focused Local Content, Gas Monetization a Boost for Intra-African Energy Growth

    Namibia and Equatorial Guinea Youth-Focused Local Content, Gas Monetization a Boost for Intra-African Energy Growth

    Following an agreement forged during the Namibian International Energy Conference in 2022, a youth training initiative launched by Namibia and Equatorial Guinea has set the tone for an ambitious local content drive that will position Namibia as a competitive hydrocarbon producer
    JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, January 4, 2023/ — Namibia, as an upcoming hydrocarbon producer, and Equatorial Guinea, as one of Africa’s top natural gas producers, have taken the lead towards positioning Africa as a globally competitive oil and gas producer, leveraging intra-African partnerships and cooperation to scale up the local workforce.

    Following sizable oil and gas discoveries made in Namibia in 2022, the two countries forged an agreement during the Namibian International Energy Conference (NIEC) 2022 that saw four Namibian engineers receive training at the Equatorial Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas (EG LNG) facility. This program has been significant, both for Namibia’s future oil and gas industry and for Africa’s energy sector at large, and the African Energy Chamber (AEC) commends both countries on this bold initiative.

    During the NIEC 2022, Hon. Tom Alweendo, Namibia’s Minister of Mines and Energy, announced the training partnership with H.E. Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, Equatorial Guinea’s Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons. Hon. Minister Alweendo visited Equatorial Guinea and worked with his counterpart to kick off the training of Namibians.

    To date, four Namibian engineers have received training at EG LNG, owned by Marathon Oil, Chevron and the Equatorial Guinean government. In addition to receiving exploration and production training at the facility, the engineers were trained at the associated Methanol Facility and the Turbo Gas Facility at the Punta Europa Complex.

    The Namibian engineers also received training on various operational matters from British independent Trident Energy, known for operational efficiency and production improvements. Trident is the operator of Block G, which includes the producing Ceiba and Okume Complex fields — made up of six oil fields in the Gulf of Guinea, in shallow and deep water in the Rio Muni basin.

    This training has not only signaled a new era of intra-African energy collaboration and partnerships but has opened up significant opportunities for Namibia to position itself as a globally competitive oil producer on the back of south-south cooperation.

    With both countries having placed local content at the center of their developmental strategies, this training initiative marks the start of a new era of hydrocarbon growth in Africa on the back of cooperation and collaboration. Long-term, Equatorial Guinea is committed to establishing itself as a regional energy hub, leveraging ambitious local content initiatives to develop a strong and competitive hydrocarbon market in-country. Similarly, Namibia, at the start of its hydrocarbon journey, has recognized the role local content will play in making energy poverty history while kick starting industrialization and economic prosperity. As such, the country has introduced proactive local content policies, with the Equatorial Guinean training initiative only furthering this agenda.

    “It is good to see energy companies in Equatorial Guinea taking the lead in the training and development of Namibian youth. EG LNG, Trident Energy, Chevron, Marathon Oil should be given huge credit, incentive and encouraged to do more. It is important for young Africans. Energy companies are our partners, and we must support them as we push for Namibian energy growth,” stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman at the AEC.

    The training initiative followed Shell’s Graff-1 discovery and TotalEnergies Venus discovery made merely weeks apart in February 2022, unlocking up to four billion barrels of recoverable reserves combined. The discoveries were significant, with their associated developments set to double Namibia’s GDP by 2040. Shortly thereafter, the country took a proactive approach to get advanced training from U.S. and regional firms, with the government eager to bring these projects online as soon as possible. In this scenario, Equatorial Guinea emerged as the obvious partner, with the country hosting a suite of global energy majors and large-scale hydrocarbon developments alike.

    Owing to sizeable domestic oil and gas reserves, as well as an accelerated drive by the government to monetize regional untapped reserves, Equatorial Guinea has put in motion a series of large-scale projects such as the Punta Europa LNG Terminal – comprising Train 1, producing 3.7 million tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG, and Train 2, set to produce up to 4.4 mtpa once completed – the wider Punta Europa Gas Complex – comprising Methanol and Turbo Gas Facilities – and the Central African Pipeline System. These projects have enabled the country to export gas worldwide, with Equatorial Guinea serving as a key supplier of gas to Europe in the ongoing gas crisis. In this scenario, companies such as Marathon Oil, Sonagas, ExxonMobil and Panoro have been key, and offer Namibia unparalleled insight into developing and operating large-scale projects.

    “What Minister Alweendo and Obiang Lima have done should be commended. They have demonstrated the role that intra-African energy cooperation will play in Africa’s energy future. Equatorial Guinea, with its expertise as an oil and gas player, offers Namibia the knowledge and training that the country needs to develop a thriving domestic oil and gas industry. Through this training initiative, both countries have prioritized local content, developing the local industry and getting young people ready to lead oil and gas exploration and production. At the AEC, we are proud to see what Namibia and Equatorial Guinea are doing and want to see more African states following suit,” concluded Ayuk.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Week (AEW).

    SOURCE
    African Energy Week (AEW)

     

  • Independents Energy Companies are Raring to Go in Africa in 2023 with Sustainable Energy Development (By NJ Ayuk)

    Independents Energy Companies are Raring to Go in Africa in 2023 with Sustainable Energy Development (By NJ Ayuk)

     

    OPINION PIECE
    They’re bringing private capital, experience, and know-how to the continent
    JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, December 26, 2022/ — By NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber

    In late 2019, Africa Oil Corp. President and CEO Keith Hill told Petroleum Economist that, given Africa’s unproven oil and gas basins, the continent was probably “the greatest frontier,” with outstanding opportunities for exploration, production, and development companies, including independents.

    Three years later, Hill remains bullish about Africa, and Canada-headquartered Africa Oil Corp. is driving oil and gas exploration here. The company is part of a growing trend we’re seeing: independent oil and gas companies that recognize the tremendous promise of our underexplored continent and are finding ways to thrive here — and make a positive impact.

    I’m extremely optimistic about independents like Africa Oil Corp and BW Energy, which are building on their successful track records in exploration and production, and Perenco, which is building Africa’s natural gas industry. I’m encouraged by the efforts of Trident Energy, which is finding ways to bolster production in mature fields, and by Eco Atlantic, which has been convincing investors not to turn their backs on our continent. Companies like these are exactly what Africa needs. They’re bringing private capital, experience, and know-how to the continent. They are accelerating resource monetization and maximization for the good of Africa. And, honestly, I can’t wait to see what they do in 2023.

    Putting Natural Gas to Work for Africa

    As David Christianson so eloquently put it in a recent blog for Trade Law Centre (tralac), a South Africa-based think tank, “Africa’s gas future is floating offshore.” Floating liquified natural gas (FLNG) units are an ideal way to capitalize on Africa’s abundant natural gas resources. They can be deployed rapidly and more affordably than onshore LNG trains, creating a practical pathway to gas monetization. London-headquartered independent, Perenco, which has operated in Cameroon for nearly 30 years, is capitalizing on these opportunities.

    Not only did Perenco establish an FLNG plant in Cameroon, it made history there. The Hilli Episeyo FLNG, which began commercial operations in March 2018, is the world’s second-ever FLNG plant to enter operation and the first in the world to operate from a converted LNG tanker. The plant, moored off the coast of Kribi, is the property of Norwegian Golar. Not only does the project have global significance, but it also involves local entities. Perenco partnered with Cameroon’s Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (National Hydrocarbons Company) to launch the project. The Hilli Episeyo is designed to produce 2.4 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) of LNG and has 125,000 cubic meters of storage capacity. Natural gas for the plant is sourced from Perenco’s Sanaga and Ebome gas fields.

    What’s more, Perenco is growing its upstream activity in the continent. Earlier this year, it signed a deal with oil and gas company New Age Ltd. to buy its stake and take over the operatorship of the Etinde gas field, which is in shallow water in the Rio del Rey Basin offshore Cameroon. In July, Perenco acquired Anglo-Swiss multinational Glencore’s entities in North Africa, The acquisition includes PetroChad Mangara, which operates the Mangara, Badila, and Krim oilfields in Chad’s Doba Basin. And in November, the company announced it had discovered oil in the Tchibeli North East pre-salt Vandji exploration prospect offshore Congo, describing it as a potential “play opener.”

    Each of these activities and successes represents potential for greater energy security, economic growth, and based on Perenco’s track record, more good jobs for Africans.

    Perenco is a strong example of an independent that has successfully developed strategies for Africa’s unique challenges, needs, and opportunities. And, it’s not alone.

    Breathing New Life Into Maturing Fields

    Look at British independent Trident Energy, which is introducing a new era of operational efficiency and production improvements in Equatorial Guinea.

    Trident’s business strategy calls for acquiring mid-life producing assets around the globe, particularly oil and gas fields lacking attention and investment, re-developing them, increasing production, and unlocking reserves. In Africa, where we’re seeing production declines occur in legacy assets throughout the continent, this approach is tremendously valuable.

    In Equatorial Guinea, Trident is the operator of Block G, which includes the producing Ceiba and Okume Complex fields — made up of six oil fields in the Gulf of Guinea, in shallow and deep water in the Rio Muni basin –  with a 40.375% working interest. The company also holds a 40% stake in Block S, W & EG-21.

    In May of this year, the Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea and Trident’s joint venture partners for Block G, Kosmos Energy, Panoro Energy, and GEPetrol, agreed to extend the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) for the block through 2040, giving Trident more time to unlock the block’s full potential.

    Trident has earned the respect of both the government and the companies it works with. Trident credits those strong working relationships with the company’s commitment to be an active, visible member of the communities where it operates.

    Foreign project leaders and their families relocate in-country, as the company fulfils its role as a major contributor to the local economy and community. Most importantly building local capacity and improving local content has been a key strategy for the company’s leadership.

    Trident also is known for offering local residents high-quality jobs and respectful treatment; for creating empowering skill development, healthcare, and education programs in host communities; and for implementing best practices to protect the environment.

    Trident Energy’s upgrades at Okume Field, which have been underway this year, call for converting 15 gas lift wells to electrical submersible pumps (ESPs), which are more affordable to operate and maintain.

    To prepare for the conversion, the company has been working on a $57 million upgrade at Okume’s central processing facilities. Trident Energy’s team in Equatorial Guinea has managed every aspect of the project including supply chain, logistics, and coordination. Approximately 55% of the services (in-value) were provided by local contractors; 32% of services were provided by regional contractors; and only 13% were provided by international contractors.

    Projects that boost production in declining assets, like the Okume upgrades, are extremely important for both Equatorial Guinea and the continent at large. We hope more companies follow Trident’s lead.

    Setting the Stage for Success

    The African Energy Chamber also has been impressed with Norwegian independent BW Energy, which has been very strategic in its approach to gas exploration and production in Namibia.

    BW, which also has a strong presence in Gabon, targets proven offshore oil and gas reservoirs and minimizes risk with phased developments. By operating in sites with existing production facilities, the company reduces time to first oil and keeps cash flow in check, the company website explains.

    In 2017, the company acquired a 56% stake in the Kudu gas field in the northern Orange sub-basin, approximately 130 kilometers off the southwest coast of Namibia. Several years later, BW increased its interest in the gas project to 95%.

    The Kudu field is believed to hold at least 1.3 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas, but the site has remained undeveloped since ChevronTexaco first discovered gas there in 1974. The field has had a long string of operators, but as Pan-African research agency Hawilti put it, factors ranging from the inability to agree on a gas price to delays in getting governmental support projects have kept the project in limbo. The site’s isolated location, and lack of infrastructure to transport gas, have not helped matters.

    But, with BW in the driver’s seat, I believe that chapter is now closed. As announced during African Energy Week in Cape Town, BW is pursuing a revised development plan for Kudu that includes using a repurposed semisubmersible drilling rig as a floating production unit (FPU), which will allow it to move gas onshore for domestic energy generation. BW purchased the rig it needs for this effort earlier this year.

    BW’s efforts could have far-reaching effects on day-to-day life in Namibia. Currently, the country relies on electricity imports to meet its domestic needs. BW’s work at Kudu will help provide the gas Namibia means to reliably deliver electricity to its people, drive industrial growth, create jobs, and position Namibia as a regional energy hub.
    Overcoming Hurdles, Modeling Determination
    Another independent modeling what can be achieved in Africa is Toronto-headquartered Eco Atlantic. It has been overcoming the challenges of raising capital in an era when companies are being pressured not to begin new oil and gas projects on our continent.

    In April, Eco Atlantic raised approximately $25.5 million to cover drilling expenses on the Gazania-1 well, on Block 2B offshore South Africa, although the company announced that its evaluation well did not show evidence of commercial hydrocarbons. That’s not stopping the company from moving forward in Africa. Along with its partners, Africa Energy Corp, Panoro 2B Limited (a subsidiary of Panoro Energy ASA), and Crown Energy AB, Eco Atlantic is planning additional exploration drilling, including a two-well campaign on Block 3B/4B offshore South Africa, set to begin in 2023, and at least one well on the Orinduik Block offshore Guyana.

    “While it is naturally disappointing not having made a commercial discovery, the Gazania-1 well was only the first of four wells we have planned for the next 18-24 months across our wider portfolio,” Eco Atlantic co-founder and CEO Gil Holzman said.

    Tenacity is a required trait for all companies in this industry. Eco Atlantic’s ongoing commitment to exploring South Africa’s offshore basins is commendable.

    As recently as Dec. 19, the company announced its subsidiary, Azinam Limited, had acquired another 6.25% participating interest in Block 3B/4B offshore South Africa. Eco Atlantic also received regulatory approval for the acquisition. Now Eco Atlantic will hold an increased participating interest of 26.25% in Block 3B/4B, with Africa Oil Corp., the block’s operator, and Cape Town-based upstream company, Ricocure.

    Big Finds, Big Ambitions
    As for Africa Oil Corp., one of its strengths is the respect it has earned in the sector and among government leaders. The company has been involved in such major finds as the 2022 Venus light oil discovery made with Total Energies offshore Namibia (through subsidiary Impact Oil & Gas Limited).

    Since then, the company has kept its focus on continued exploration operations. It has producing and development assets in deep-water offshore Nigeria, development assets in Kenya, and a portfolio of exploration assets in Guyana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and the Senegal Guinea Bissau Joint Development Zone (AGC).

    The companies’ successes in East Africa are particularly exciting. Exploration in Kenya within the last decade has opened two new basins that extend into southern Somalia. Keith recently told Energy, Oil & Gas magazine that the basins cover an area the size of the North Sea.

    And in Puntland, the company is confident that it found an oilfield through drilling on the Shabeel well.

    Hill said he remembers when most companies believed opportunities in East Africa were limited.

    “At most oil and gas conferences today the universal opinion is that East Africa now represents one of the hottest oil and gas exploration areas anywhere in the world,” he said. “Africa Oil Corp’s forward thinking approach meant that it was able to get in and secure all the acreage it wanted before this region really took off. What that means is that today you are looking at an organization that boasts the best onshore acreage position of any company now present in East Africa.”

    Well done.

    Earlier this year, I said Africa will not achieve the energy future it wants, including making energy poverty history, without the presence of independents. Today, that truth is clearer than ever. Yes, majors and national oil companies still have an important part to play in Africa’s energy industry, but the independent companies at work here are giving us every reason to be optimistic about Africa’s future.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Week (AEW).

    SOURCE
    African Energy Week (AEW)

     

     

  • Hydroelectric power plant in Hatta,UAE, is 58% complete: DEWA

    Hydroelectric power plant in Hatta,UAE, is 58% complete: DEWA

    The power plant will have a production capacity of 250 MW, a storage capacity of 1,500 Mwh, and a life span of up to 80 years once completed

    Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced that the pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant site, which it is building in Hatta, is 58 per cent complete.

    The power plant will have a production capacity of 250 MW, a storage capacity of 1,500 Mwh, and a life span of up to 80 years once completed.

    It is the first station of its kind in the GCC, with investments of up to Dhs1.421bn. The project is planned for completion in Q4 2024.

    Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), recently visited and inspected the construction site at the hydroelectric power plant, where he was briefed about the progress of the project.

    The visit also included the inspection of the power generators site and the upper dam, where the water intake in the Hatta Dam connected to the power generators has been completed.

    Construction of the 72-metre main roller compacted concrete wall of the upper dam has also been completed.

    Al Tayer also inspected the work progress of the water tunnel, which is 1.2 kilometres long and connects the two dams. The concrete lining of the water tunnel is complete.

    Al Tayer said the plant in Hatta is part of DEWA’s efforts to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100 per cent of Dubai’s total power production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.

    The project supports the comprehensive plan to develop Hatta and meet its social, economic, developmental, and environmental needs, in addition to providing innovative job opportunities for citizens in Hatta.

    The hydroelectric power plant will be an energy storage facility with a turnaround efficiency of 78.9 per cent that utilises the water stored in the upper dam, which is converted to kinetic energy during the flow of water through the 1.2-kilometre subterranean tunnel.

    This kinetic energy rotates the turbines and converts mechanical energy to electrical energy which is sent to DEWA’s grid within 90 seconds in response to demand. To store energy, clean energy generated at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will be used to pump the water through this tunnel back to the upper dam by converting the electrical power to kinetic energy making the whole project 100 per cent renewable.

    In recent news, DEWA also reported a net profit of Dhs6.47bn for the first nine months of the year, recording near parity with its full-year net profit for 2021.

    Credit(Gulf Business)

     

  • Rwanda’s Kigali Green City, the first of its kind to be built in Africa

    Rwanda’s Kigali Green City, the first of its kind to be built in Africa

    An international team has been appointed for the implementation of the Kigali Green City project in Rwanda. The team was appointed by the UK headquartered Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, which won an international design competition for the project.

    The FCBS team comprises the local architects Light Earth Designs, A Studio Space, and Studio FH Architects, as well as Turner & Townsend. The team also included Grant Associates, AKT II, and Atelier Ten

    Top of Form

    In addition, the East Africa leading planning, design, architecture, and engineering firm, FBW Group, was appointed to offer the key services of architecture and structure. The FBW Group will also offer civil engineering services, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering

    The company’s initial roles will involve supervising local compliance, making suggestions for local material suppliers, and maintaining environmental standards. It will also be involved in dealing with and receiving submissions from stakeholders.

    Implementation of the construction phase of the 16HA Kigali Green City project 

    The FBW team will be taking part in the planning for the construction phase of the 16HA pilot scheme as the project goes on. FBW Group is delighted to be a team player on what looks to be a revolutionary development. This was revealed by the Group’s director, Antje Eckoldt.

    The pilot project will lay the foundation for the development of high-quality, resource-efficient, low-carbon housing types suitable for a range of sizes and densities. It will also make way for future sustainable urban development.

    It is said that one of the project’s goals is to show that the urban environment has everything it needs to sustain its community. The urban environment can also enable people to live sustainably. This is through combining proper technologies, forward-thinking ideas, and local skills and materials.

    She continued by saying that they are currently exploring local low-carbon construction ways. According to her, they are also exploring materials and how they can be used to the best effect.

    Project Overview

    The Kigali Green City will be built on 620 hectares of land. The site is located approximately 16km from the Rwandan capital. More precisely in Kinyinya, in the district of Gasabo. The sustainable city is expected to consist of 1,749 housing units built on a total of 18 hectares. It is set to feature clean technologies, electric vehicles, electric bicycles, and motorcycle lanes.

    Moreover, it will have renewable energy, sustainable waste treatment, biogas plants, and urban forests, among others. Construction will mainly use local building materials. As a result, these will make houses more affordable and environmentally sustainable. The government of Rwanda is also planning to build commercial establishments and offices to accommodate “innovative green enterprises”.

    The project, the cost of which is US $5bn will be implemented in phases. The first phase (“Cactus Green Park”) will comprise a housing development with multiple green aspects.  This will act as a pilot to lead the way for further scaling up of green building and green urban planning projects. As part of this phase, 410 houses will be developed by Horizon on a total of 13 ha.

    The second phase will be developed by RSSB on 125 ha. The next phases will be developed subsequently. These will include commercial and office buildings attracting “Innovative Green Businesses”.

    Kigali Green City reportedly aims to demonstrate that green building is a necessity, not a luxury. This will be achieved by working to change the stereotype that sustainability is expensive. Living in resource-efficient housing will significantly reduce electricity and water bills for a population that often spends up to 20% of its income on utilities.

    Summary 

    Name:                 Kigali Green City

    Location:            Kigali Rwanda

    Type:                  Sustainable Urban Development

    Credit:(Construction Review Online)

     

  • ESG in Africa is colonialism 2.0

    OPINION

    by N.J. Ayuk

    Many today believe the era of colonialism in Africa is over. They’re wrong. The era of colonialism in Africa has merely entered a new and insidious phase.

    Some call it “neo-colonialism.” I call it colonialism 2.0. In colonialism 1.0, Western and other nations conquered large parts of Africa, and in colonialism 2.0, they use their money to impose their unrealistic ideologies on an unwilling but still desperate continent.

    Nowhere is this more obvious than in the mania surrounding ESG, a set of environmental, social, and governance criteria for financial investments that are being weaponized to impose green energy on African nations that desperately need cheap, reliable energy — that is, fossil fuels. We need this energy to continue developing our economies and providing basic necessities for our people.

    Everyone knows that Africa is still a largely developing continent. As such, it requires the help of other nations in order to save lives and improve the well-being of its citizens. Great progress has been achieved since World War II, not only in Africa but around the world. For example, just between 1990 and 2015, extreme poverty in Africa went from 54% of the population to just 41%. It is estimated that the number could decline to 23% by 2030.

    However, elites in Western countries are threatening to undermine all this progress unless Africans go along with their unrealistic and extremist expectations. In a rather colonial fashion, Western countries are denying African countries their once-in-a-generation opportunity for development by making us the subjects of their ESG experiments. If we don’t agree to abide by ESG criteria, they try to bribe us with IMF and other loans through the sophisticated international finance system. And if that fails, they punish us by denying their help — even if it kills our people.

    I’ll be as blunt as I was when I spoke at African Energy Week in Cape Town weeks ago. For African nations to continue to emerge from poverty, we need to drill, baby, drill. That’s Africa’s message to the world. If we’re going to solve energy poverty, the world needs to invest in Africa’s oil, natural gas, and other God-given resources.

    Foreign leaders from wealthier, more advanced nations need to be responsible and tone down the rhetoric that fossil fuels and energy producers are evil. As Matthew Opoku Premeh, the Ghanaian minister of energy, reminded us at Africa Energy Week, over 80% of the oil and gas we take from Africa ends up in Europe, China, and India. So not only are African resources often extracted for the benefit of other nations but now we are not even allowed to pursue our own priorities? Nonsense.

    Enough with the hypocrisy. Let us use what we have, as every other developed country has had the freedom to do for centuries. I stand with our energy producers and against the Western elite and will not apologize for Africa’s energy sector.

    That is why I went to COP27. I believe that if Africa does not take a seat at the table, it will end up being on the menu. Let me be clear: those of us who advocate African countries to continue using the oil and gas resources within our sovereign borders are not ignoring the green agenda — we simply are not willing to embrace Western elites’ timetables for transitioning to renewable energy at the expense of the energy security and economic well-being of our own people.

    Not just Africa but the whole world is now experiencing firsthand how important abundant and cheap energy is to economic development. With it, endless opportunities are available. Without it, your economy is at risk of collapse, as we are witnessing in Europe now.

    Cheap energy is absolutely vital to economic development. So far, many so-called “green” energy sources have simply proven incapable of providing enough energy to rapidly developing countries, let alone developed ones like those in Europe and the United States. Those of us across the African continent desperately need to build vast amounts of infrastructure to feed our people, get them to work, and expand our access to the world. This requires cars, buses, trucks, ships, trains, docks, roads, power plants, utilities, and fiber optic networks, among many other countless amenities developed nations already enjoy.

    Imposing environmental standards on African nations that are still in the early stages of development artificially maintains millions of Africans in poverty, unable to enjoy the economic empowerment that comes with cheap energy. As indicated by the International Energy Agency, over 700 million people don’t have access to electricity, many of whom are in Africa.

    Did not the West itself go through a similar phase of development? It would be one thing if new energy sources were up to the task — but they aren’t. Africans must not be held in poverty for the sake of environmental extremists in the West who can’t even provide for their own energy needs, let alone ours. As Matthew Prempeh made it clear in Cape Town, he would be “an irresponsible leader to sell my country on the altar of energy transition without talking about the significance of energy security or energy access or without talking about energy affordability.”

    By using ESG to impose strict “E” policies, the West is imposing its own priorities on countries that are still working on providing the basics to their people — food, infrastructure, internet, and energy.

    A growing number of Western countries are making their aid packages contingent on going “green” when African nations simply can’t afford it. In such a situation, the West cannot be surprised if such nations begin turning to countries like China and its Belt and Road Initiative for cheap capital with no environmental strings attached.

    We are not fools. Africans want to develop and prosper economically, and we know what we must do to achieve that. We need affordable, reliable energy. And if the West is unwilling to help us do that, we will turn elsewhere.

    Do we want cleaner air and sustainable energy? Of course we do, who wouldn’t? The real question should be who is willing to see Africans die and slip back into poverty in a sloppy attempt to achieve those goals. I’m certainly not, but it seems many of our old colonizers are willing to make that horrendous bargain.

    The West — its governments, corporations, nonprofit groups, and NGOs — must end ESG restrictions on investment in Africa and bring colonialism 2.0 to an end.

    N.J. Ayuk is a lawyer and entrepreneur, and executive chairman of the African Energy Chamber, the only advocacy organization representing all facets of Africa’s energy, oil, and gas industry.