Africa is a huge place, and is beset with huge problems. Through the 18th and 19th centuries and even through much of the 20th, many of Africa's nations were colonies of the European powers, and when many of those powers left after World War 2, many of them left without taking the time to set up the value systems, legal systems and infrastructures that would have enabled the former colonies to prosper.
This wasn't exactly Europe's proudest moment.
The result is the Africa we see today: Many areas that should be prosperous are being exploited by warlords and dictators. We see tribal warfare, persecution, and many of the people of the continent are living in grinding poverty. Most of the nations of Africa have a per capita GDP of under a thousand U.S. dollars a year.
That could change. The key, as is always the case, is energy. But, like so much of the developed world, Africa is being pushed into the various green energy boondoggles, while not having the traditional energy sources to rely on. The result hasn't worked out well.
But there's some hope. Africa does have considerable traditional energy sources, and by traditional, of course, I mean coal, natural gas, and oil.
Identified crude oil reserves in Africa are, as of 2021, over 125 billion barrels.
Identified natural gas reserves in Africa are, as of 2021, around 625.6 trillion cubic feet.
Africa has coal reserves estimated to range in hundreds of billions of tons, with most concentrated in South Africa.
These are only the proven reserves we know about. There may well be more. And without energy, reliable, high-density energy, there can be no effective technological progress in the developing nations of Africa. Without energy, they cannot have modern agriculture. Without energy, they cannot effectively develop other mineral resources. Without energy, they cannot move towards an industrial economy.
Without energy, these developing nations have no hope of joining the modern world. It doesn't have to be that way.
The developing nations of Africa should have no interest in paying any attention to the green energy advocates. They are sovereign nations and are free to develop their resources to suit themselves. The catch, of course, is that they are also depending on extraction revenues – selling oil and gas on the global market – to fund their development, and the green movement is trying to slam that door in their faces. Ironically, it is the global left that makes a lot of noise about colonialism, which is engaging in this neo-colonial treatment of the developing world. Energy is the key to industry; industry is the key to development; development is the key to prosperity; prosperity is the key to independent, powerful, free nations.
The green energy advocates and the climate scolds are trying to deny the nations of Africa the first rung of that ladder. It’s shameful. It’s despicable. And it’s unnecessary.
And here’s the really interesting bit: Through their senseless policies, the developed – one might say post-developed – nations of western Europe may be in dire need of that energy soon, the ample energy that these African nations are ready to supply. They have their resources, of course, but are unwilling to develop them. Africa has plenty, and to spare. It seems like it would be a win-win – as fair and free trade, by necessity, always is. Europe, we might note, can either get energy from Africa or Russia.
If this happens, mind you, be ready for shouts from the Left about “colonizers” taking Africa’s energy. They ignore the real, painful, and condescending treatment of Africa’s energy development by much of the Western world. And frankly, Africa shouldn’t be putting up with it. If there are no customers in Europe for African oil, there are customers elsewhere.
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Africa has a long history of poverty. Only modern technology, modern agriculture, and a modern industrial base can lift the developing and undeveloped nations of this continent out of that poverty. The United States is, right now, under the Trump administration, is uniquely situated to partner with the African nations to kick-start their energy renaissance. Such a partnership could be a win-win. Africa should ignore the climate scolds and the green energy snake oil salesmen, and look instead to their own resources, and perhaps make some deals with America's great deal-maker.
This could be a win for America and a win for many of the nations of Africa. It's something the president may want to take a good, hard look at.
