By Bassey Udo
Africa must be allowed to chart its own energy transition that prioritises development and energy access alongside decarbonisation, the chief executive of Renaissance Africa Energy, Tony Attah, has said.
Speaking at International Energy Week in London, Attah told industry leaders that a globally supported, but African-led energy transition was what the continent requires to realize it’s potential.
“Africa should be enabled to lead its energy future – on its terms. This is not about slowing the global transition; it is about making it work,” he said.
Attah highlighted what he described as Africa’s energy paradox: despite holding around 40 percent of global solar potential and 9 percent of proven gas reserves, more than 600 million Africans lack access to electricity, while over 850 million rely on traditional biomass for cooking, contributing to about 800,000 premature deaths annually from indoor air pollution.
“You cannot decarbonise a system that you have not yet built,” Attah said, adding that Africa’s transition must be anchored in industrialisation, power generation and economic growth.
Attah also pointed to the rapid growth of Renaissance Africa Energy, formed last year following its acquisition of Shell’s onshore and shallow-water assets in Nigeria.
He said the company has increased oil production by 100,000 barrels per day, and is now supplying 2 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day to Nigeria LNG.
“We are linking production to power, industry and jobs, redefining the purpose of these assets for domestic value creation,” he said.
Attah called on African governments to provide regulatory certainty, international lenders to unlock long-term capital, and global partners to pursue commercially balanced collaborations.
“When Africa powers its people and builds its industries, the world wins,” he said. “The energy renaissance must be African-led.”
