Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, Kornelia Shilunga says African should be given the opportunity to set the pace and manner in which it will transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy.
“It is therefore imperative that as African we discuss these pertinent issues in the context of the African energy landscape and establish Africa’s position in the energy transition. I am not saying we should not play our part as members of the global community in minimising the human contribution to climate change,” she told the Africa Energy Forum in London.
“It is my hope that Africa holds hands and be united in determining the way forward with regards to its own energy transitions. The African voice needs to be adequately represented in the international discussions on fair and equitable energy transition.”
Shilunga said although Namibia is ready to embrace the transformation facing the energy sector due to climatic changes, the change should be considerate of the country’s development agenda and its current energy needs.
“This change should be realistic to the energy needs of the Namibian people, the region and the continent. It is also critical that this change is cognizant of the development agenda of Namibia and Africa as a whole, most of which are dependent on the exploitation of all the available energy resources. Namibia considers its oil and natural gas resources to be very important to its socio-economic development,” she said.
“To change the narrative of being the darkest continent, what Africa needs is an energy progression and not an energy transition. The current set net zero targets should therefore not be at the expense of Africa energy security and its poverty eradication goals.Like many Sub-Sahara African countries, Namibia has not yet achieved universal electricity access despite having a wide range of energy resources. To date we are importing around 60 percent of our electricity needs.”
This comes as Mines and Energy minister Tom Alweendo told the Africa Energy Week conference last week in Cape Town that Namibia will not completely do away with oil and gas while pursuing its plans to become a global hub for green hydrogen.
South Africa Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has come out strongly against calls for Africa to do away with fossil fuels, calling on African nations to urgently form a united front to resist global pressure to rapidly abandon fossil fuels.
