African Development Bank memorandum: The conditions are just ripe for Africa to prove its worth to the world. Due to the current geopolitical climate, which is marked by a high worldwide demand for gas and oil and a spike in prices as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the resource-rich continent of Africa now has the opportunity to step up as a substitute gas supplier for the world. And the continent is leaving no stone unturned to seize this golden chance to the fullest.
Recently, the Central African countries have announced the establishment of a regional oil and gas pipeline network. These African nations are all, either oil producers or have vast untapped oil and gas reserves, but are dependent on imports for refined products. Thus the proposed gas pipeline network would serve as a means to boost their energy security and move towards economic self-sufficiency. This will also lessen their reliance on imported refined petroleum products from the West.
Countries like Uganda and Tanzania are the oil rich nations which are spearheading this campaign.
West hinders African Progress:
The growing self-assertiveness of Africa has irked the Western nations. The West would never benefit from an assertive Africa. Africa’s enslavement served as the foundation for the riches of western nations. Therefore, they are trying every trick in their nefarious foreign policy playbook to stop the rise of Africa.
Western nations have been in a way forcing Africa to transition to renewable sources of energy, without even providing cash or technology transfer to aid the poor African nations in the transitional process. While these predatory nations often tout noble intentions like climate change mitigation measures for making African nations transition to renewable sources of energy, the truth is starkly different.
You see, under the guise of environmental and human rights advocacy, these developed Western nations work to stymie development and undermine democracy by funding parasitic organizations, environmental NGOs, and media outlets with foreign money.
Moreover, the contemporary environmental movement enforces the perceptions of primarily affluent, at-ease Americans and Europeans on predominantly destitute, poor Africans, Asians, and Latin Americans. It infringes on these people’s most fundamental human rights by denying them access to the economy, the ability to live better lives, and the right to rid their nations of diseases that were long since wiped out in Europe and the United States.
The world’s wealthiest nations are disproportionately responsible for global warming to date. Rich countries, including the United States, Canada and much of western Europe, account for just 12 percent of the global population today but are responsible for 50 percent of all the planet-warming greenhouse gases released from fossil fuels and industry over the past 170 years. However, the majority of the costs and effects of the climate catastrophe are borne by vulnerable populations, women, and Indigenous people in the world’s poorest nations, despite the fact that they have a negligible portion of the blame. Rich nations, on the other hand, who have historically benefited from environmental plunder, largely remain unaffected.
Additionally, rather than providing financial support to the developing countries in their efforts to combat climate change, industrialized countries, due to their dominance in international organizations like the United Nations, continue to place onerous demands on the developing nations.
Africans fight back:
Africa has started to understand the importance of self-sufficiency in the wake of the global protectionism brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the crisis spurred on by Europe’s overwhelming reliance on Russian energy sources has only served to motivate African nations to start weaning themselves off of Western nations. Thus, African nations have started to speak for their own national interests.
Recently, in what may be one of the most embarrassing moments for the West, the president of the African Development Bank told Reuters in a strongly worded statement that any agreement at the COP27 climate talks should reflect the right of African countries to use their natural gas reserves, despite efforts by some countries to limit use of the fuel.
“Africa must have natural gas to complement its renewable energy,” African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina said on the sidelines of the U.N. conference, being held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Even if Africa were to triple its production of natural gas from current levels, its contribution to global emissions would only rise by 0.67%, he said.
It should be mentioned that the ADB has started to experience some success of its own. The African Development Bank Group and the OPEC Fund for International Development recently signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen their collaboration in support of Africa’s sustainable economic and social development. Additionally, ADB has been successful in providing financing to less developed African countries to foster growth and development and, in certain cases, lessen their reliance on predatory US-controlled organizations like the IMF and World Bank.
African political and economic systems have always been annexes to global political and economic systems, lagging behind in global socioeconomic and political advancement for ages. Africans have long put up with the discriminatory treatment they receive from Western countries. However, they are now retaliating against the condescending and paternalistic attitude of Western nations. African countries are aware of the value of self-determinism and self-sufficiency in the cotemporary politico-economic environment. A pan-African fight against neo-imperialism is in the making
