The right of African countries to use their natural gas reserves should be reflected in any deal at the COP27 climate talks, the president of the African Development Bank has said.
This is just as developed economies push to see use of the fuel curtailed.
AfDB’s President Akinwunmi Adesina, who said this on the sidelines of the COP27 conference, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, added that Africa must have natural gas to complement its renewable energy.
Agreeing a deal on fossil fuels is among the key sticking points at the talks, with some countries including India keen to phase down the use of all such fuels, including gas.
The issue of climate financing continues to be a sore point of the conference with many arguing that developed economies need to pay compensation developing countries who are bearing the brunt of their action.
The AfDB is seeking to raise $25 billion through the African Adaptation Acceleration Program – the biggest created by any comparable lender, Adesina said. It has also put 85% of its investments between 2016-2021 into renewable energy.
He said: “Still, natural gas is needed to balance out the electricity supply given the intermittent nature of renewables, he said.”We must recognise the special nature of Africa. Africa has the highest level of energy poverty in the world.
