Africans want renewables, not fossil fuel funding from G7

(Context, 4 May 2023) With Japan’s leader touring Africa, pressure is growing on G7 nations to support clean energy development on the continent rather than oil and gas.

Thuli Makama is Africa Program Director for Oil Change International, Amos Yesutanbul Nkpeebo is a climate change campaigner based in Ghana, Daniel Ribeiro works with Justiça Ambiental JA!/Friends of the Earth Mozambique and Salome Nduta is at OilWatch Africa.

Ahead of the Japan-hosted G7 leaders’ summit in May, Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, is on a tour of Africa until Friday. He is visiting Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique, as G7 chair to “increase (Japan’s) involvement in the Global South”. Japan has been criticized by fellow G7 members for using its role as G7 host to promote its fossil fuel-heavy energy strategy across Asia and worldwide. 

Africa - the continent worst hit by the climate crisis with the biggest energy access gap and the highest renewable energy potential - does not need more investment in fossil fuels. Kishida cannot be allowed to promote fossil-fuel dependency on the African continent. He must listen to the African people, who want a just transition to 100% renewable energy.  

As African civil society organizations, we have one message to rich countries: Don’t Gas Africa. With 600 million Africans lacking access to clean, modern energy, we say scaling up cheap, decentralized, renewable energy is the fastest and best way to end energy exclusion and meet the needs of Africa’s people.

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Context, 4 May 2023: Africans want renewables, not fossil fuel funding from G7