Energy

The African Energy Commission (AFREC), as the African Union’s specialised energy agency, has developed a Comprehensive Capacity Building Programme to address critical skills and knowledge gaps in Africa’s energy sector. Based on continent-wide assessments, surveys, and expert analysis, the Programme identifies priority areas such as energy efficiency, renewable integration, regulatory frameworks, financing, and electricity infrastructure.

Africa is endowed with considerable oil and gas reserves and undeveloped resources that can assist the continent’s economic growth if they are strategically developed.

There is a need to clarify Africa’s position and develop strategies for future supply adequacy, considering current uncertainties about energy supply, the key drivers of future demand, policies of consumer countries (especially alternatives to oil and gas), and expected future global economic growth and technological developments.

The people of the world face a unifying challenge: to act together; take action, stop climate change and the impact that the rising temperatures will have on availability of water, food, health and the very existence of some countries. Climate change is caused by Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and the largest source of those emissions is Carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from the fossil fuels that people burn.

As a significant net exporter, Africa plays an important role in the global oil market in terms of reserves, production and trade of crude oil. As in some other oil producing regions in the world (e.g. Europe, CIS, Asia-Pacific), conventional oil production in Africa is however now on the decline.

The report uses high-level analysis to illustrate the potential impact of what might happen to oil production and consumption in Africa in 2020 and beyond. It does not make specific detailed predictions of what will happen in individual countries, nor will the identified actions and opportunities apply to all countries. The actions and recommendations proposed in this report need to be studied in details at a country level. The report aims to raise awareness to help facilitate the correct choice of action in all countries, now and in the longer term.

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