The Secretary-General of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO), Omar Farouk Ibrahim, has said that nearly 75% of oil produced in Africa is exported to other continents for energy consumption.
Ibrahim made this disclosure during the Mozambique Energy and Industry Summit held in the southeastern African country.
The Secretary-General also said about 40% of the gas produced daily on the continent ends up in countries like Europe and America.
According to him, oil and gas are treated as export commodities from the moment they are discovered on the continent.
He noted that this is why the largest proportion of the African population continues to live in energy poverty because the continent focuses only on exporting oil and gas.
Ibrahim pointed out that nearly one billion of Africa’s 1.49 billion population lack access to clean energy for cooking and other domestic uses, adding that 600 million of the population do not have access to electricity.
“The final challenge is markets for our oil and gas. 75% of the oil and 40% of the gas that Africa produces daily are exported outside Africa.
“This is because oil and gas have been treated as export commodity from the very first time they were discovered on our continent. They were not seen as commodities that should benefit primarily the people of the continent, but outsiders.
“That is why today Africa exports oil and gas even when it has the largest proportion of its population living in energy poverty.
“Nearly 1 billion of Africa’s 1.49 billion population do not have access to clean energy for cooking and other domestic uses. Over 600 million of our population do not have access to electricity,” he said.
Africans to solve Africa’s energy poverty challenges
The Secretary-General emphasized that only Africans can tackle the energy poverty challenges facing the continent.
He stated that the continent must develop the capacity, skills, resources, and technology to refine energy production and distribution, ensuring easy accessibility for its rapidly growing population.
According to Ibrahim, Africa holds 125 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and over 600 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, all of which can be utilized to eradicate energy poverty in the continent.
“So, what is Africa doing to ameliorate these challenges? Are we prepared, as a continent, and as oil and gas-endowed nations to abandon the over 125 billion barrels of proven oil and over 600 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves in our soil, even when our continent has the largest proportion of its population living in energy poverty?
“We should take full control of all operations of the industry from financing to technology and energy market infrastructure,” Ibrahim added.
Funding Energy in Africa
Moreover, he therefore urged oil-rich countries to partner together through credible financial institutions to fund infrastructural projects across the continent to drive energy development.
He also challenged countries to task foreign nations to channel climate funds to clean the mess they created in Africa by polluting the atmosphere with over 2,500 gigatons of emissions over a period of 150 years.
“Stop looking forward to receiving a pittance from the countries of the North who destroyed our common patrimony, namely the common atmosphere by polluting it with over 2,500 gigatons of emissions over a period of 150 years.
“Ask them to commit to removing just 25% of the legacy emissions they have put out there. That way, the imminent danger we face today will be removed and Africa can use the same fossil fuels to also get industrialized,” Ibrahim said.
