Addressing Africa’s Energy Dilemma

This chapter discusses how the ongoing low-carbon energy transformation could reshape geopolitics within Africa and between the continent and the rest of the world. The chapter first attempts to define what ‘transition’ means in African contexts and if the concept applies at all to African dynamics. It then delves into the drivers and modalities of Africa’s alleged shift to finally explore geopolitical dynamics, questioning whether Africa is still the locus for the global supply of natural resources, introducing patterns of engagement between Africa and international/regional actors, and finally presenting the socio-economic implications of the shift. We conclude that while the venues and sources of geopolitical interest might change in the new geopolitical order that the transition to renewable energy implies, the content and modalities of interaction may see a continuity with the past, namely, dependence on external financing and technology. With yet at least one novelty: increased relevance of regional interdependencies.