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France Came to Nairobi With €23 Billion. Africa Came With Bargaining Power
France pledged €23 billion at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, even as its aid budget faces repeated cuts. Vincent Egoro examines what Africa’s push for sovereignty, beneficiation, and financing reform means ahead of the G7 summit in Évian.
Understanding the Global AI Wealth Divide: Minimal Impact on Africa
An analytical review of next-generation autonomous AI networks and software synthesizers.
Africa Connected 86 Million People to Off-Grid Solar but Few Have Enough Power to Run a Business
IRENA data shows 86 million Africans connected to off-grid solar, yet almost all receive too little electricity to power productive economic activity. ETA Explains why access has expanded faster than usable power.
Zambia’s Energy Future Depends More on Mines Than Megawatts
Zambia supplies copper critical to the energy transition, yet drought-driven outages exposed the fragility of the grid powering its mining economy. Chisha Chisha and Precious Mwansa-Chisha on why mineral and energy policy are now inseparable.
Europe Is Relaxing Climate Rules Under Energy Pressure. Africa Gets No Such Flexibility
Europe is considering easing methane rules under energy security pressure after a study found 43% of EU gas imports could fail compliance from 2027. African LNG exporters, however, still face the full cost of the regulation, exposing how climate rules become flexible for powerful economies and rigid
The G7 Is Building a Minerals War Room but Africa Is Outside the Room
The IEA gathered Western governments and mining giants in Brussels to discuss critical minerals stockpiling. No African government was in the room, despite Africa supplying many of the resources at the centre of the strategy.
Ethiopia Banned Petrol Cars but Climate Was Never the Real Story
Ethiopia banned petrol vehicle imports in January 2024. Two years later it has 115,000 EVs — the fastest-growing EV market in Africa. ETA Explains what the policy actually was, why Ethiopia's electricity system made it viable, what the data shows, and what other African governments can learn from it
Africa Supplies the Minerals for the Clean Energy Future. Its Water Pays the Price
A new UN University report documents 456 billion litres of water consumed extracting lithium in 2024, river contamination in the DRC's cobalt belt, and 700 million tonnes of mining waste generated by rare earth production.
The Lobito Corridor Is Europe’s Answer to China. Africa Is Still Waiting for Its Own
The Lobito Corridor is attracting $3–5 billion in financing and political backing from the US, EU, and AfDB. It is also running behind schedule, competing with a Chinese-backed alternative, and still designed primarily as an export route rather than a value capture platform.
Africa Controls the Cobalt. It Doesn't Control What Happens to It Next.
A new OECD report shows Africa's critical minerals leverage is concentrated in cobalt and manganese, and that the export restriction strategy African governments are deploying is losing distinctiveness as more countries adopt the same tool.
Africa’s Energy Crisis Is Not the Grid It Is the Kitchen
One billion Africans cook on open fires, and 815,000 die from the smoke each year. The fix is cheap, but the energy transition still ignores it.
Only Seven African Governments Showed Up in Santa Marta and It Reveals a Bigger
Only seven African governments are in Santa Marta. Their presence and the absence of most others reveal how Africa’s energy future is being negotiated.