Africa, a new frontier ready for global investment through access to affordable energy with gas part of the mix

As the global-south nations are set to rapidly increase the contribution of manufacturing and industrial production to their gross domestic product, access to reliable energy remains critical to both human development and investments, top government officials from Africa told the audience at Gastech 2025. 

To make the continent ready for business and accelerate finance flows, its economies need more than ever to better use mechanisms like public-private partnerships, pursue innovative investment models, and deliver an equitable energy transition, the speakers said. 

“About 1.8 billion of the world population don't have access to power, and the majority of that percentage is in the Global South where we are located,” said H.E. Sen. John Owan Enoh, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Industry. “So, for us as a country, it's actually the difference between darkness and light, between stillness in our industries and productivity, between prosperity and poverty,” he explained. 

The Minister added that despite its investments in gas, Nigeria still lacks the right infrastructure, and international partnerships and investments are crucial for achieving energy sufficiency before transitioning to sustainable energy sources. 

“In terms of energy security, while at the same time focusing on the transition, I think gas is good and is going to continue to play a significant role in the energy list,” stated H.E. Osama Mobarez, Secretary General of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum. “We're trying to advance and adopt the technologies that can make gas even cleaner. We have a lot of opportunities, and we want to prove technologies to do this — this is going to sustain the life of gas usage for even a longer time, beyond 2050,” he added. 

Africa is emerging as a significant investment destination, driven by resource abundance, industrialisation, and economic reforms, the panelists said, adding that the focus is on inclusive growth that benefits the masses, fostering peace and cooperation. 

“Our vision is very clear — it's how to determine that this huge potential we have leads to prosperity with access to an energy that is affordable, sustainable, reliable, flexible, and also cheap," said Hon. Cheikh Niane, Senegal’s Vice Minister of Energy, Petroleum, and Mines. Hon. Niane explained, “This will enable industrialisation and we all know that what we are going to say to the partners to work together and be less talk and more action.” 

Innovative policies and legal framework are, in fact, crucial to channel climate finance effectively and thus to power growth, reduce emissions, and improve resilience in Africa’s high-potential economies. 

“Industrialisation is picking up in Africa, but more importantly, we are reforming our economy in terms of the policies, in terms of the regulations, in terms of the development of the financial sector, making sure that there's predictability,” said Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor, Ghana’s Minister of Energy and Green Transition. “But what we should also do in Africa is how I have a win-win situation, not just exploitation of our resources, but how we can utilise that resource to bring about inclusive growth,” he stated. 

“The issue now is not — should we produce or not? The question is how we should produce amid the constraints of climate change, how do we do that?” said Bruno-Jean Richard Itoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons of the Republic of Congo. “We have to work on having the best fiscal and legal framework in our countries — companies are still interested in producing, in testing, in making, even exploration in our nation when they think there is a very good potential,” he concluded.