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The Clean Cooking Quest: It’s Time for the International Energy Agency (IEA) to Fight for Africa – Not Against it

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4 months ago

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African Energy Chamber

The IEA should be at the forefront of Africa’s clean cooking development

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, February 19, 2026/APO Group/ –The U.S. has intensified pressure on the International Energy Agency (IEA) – signaling that it could withdraw from the institution unless it refocuses on its founding mandate of safeguarding global energy security.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said Washington is not satisfied with the Paris-based agency’s current direction, arguing that its modelling and outlooks have become overly shaped by climate ideology at the expense of practical energy realities. He was direct in his messaging when he said that the IEA must return to prioritizing energy access and solvable clean cooking solutions.

For years, African leaders and private-sector stakeholders have argued that the IEA drifted from its original purpose – becoming increasingly politicized in its outlooks and instrumental in shaping restrictive financing narratives around oil and gas. The African Energy Chamber (AEC) has consistently maintained that this shift has had real consequences for developing economies, contributing to capital flight from African hydrocarbons and slowing the continent’s ability to tackle widespread energy poverty. If the IEA is now reassessing its position, the question is whether this represents genuine reform – or political expediency under mounting global pressure.

A History of Weaponizing Energy Outlooks  

The IEA has politicized its outlooks and adopted an anti-oil and gas agenda that directly undermined African development ambitions for years. Its 2021 net-zero roadmap – updated in 2025 – became a weapon used by financiers and multilateral institutions to restrict capital flows into Africa’s energy sector. Some of the objectives include no new investment for fossil fuel supply after 2021 and sales of fossil fuel boilers after 2025. It also condemns international combustion engine car sales after 2035, targeting 60% electric car sales and 50% electric heavy trucks from 2035.

These steps assume a lot about the state of the world – assumptions that are faulty, especially for Africa. For one, it will require universal energy access by 2030 – including electricity and clean cooking. With approximately 592 million Africans currently without this access, the continent is going to be hard-pressed to flip that switch in less than 10 years.

The IEA’s roadmap also relies on unprecedented investments in renewables – a substantial boost in clean energy investments from the $1 trillion made over the last five years all the way up to $5 trillion annually by 2030 – and cooperation from policymakers who are unified in their efforts. In this idyllic partnership, Africa’s Western counterparts talk a good game. But the fact is, to date, these same Western countries have invested little to no funding into Africa’s renewables space. To our dismay even the international oil companies that have tried to accept the IEA’s publicity stunt have little or no renewable projects in Africa.

OPEC wrote in response to IEA’s roadmap release that “For many developing countries, the pathway to net zero without international assistance is not clear. Technical and financial support is needed to ensure deployment of key technologies and infrastructure. Without greater international co‐operation, global CO2 emissions will not fall to net zero by 2050.”

The damage of the roadmap has been profound. Global financiers such as BNP Paribas and HSBC halted all new oil and gas financing while institutions such as Barclays, Nedbank and Deutsche Bank moved to selectively finance projects. In 2019, the World Bank also announced that it will stop direct investments in upstream oil and gas. When African countries were fighting for the development of strategic gas resources, one of the continent’s biggest institutional opponents was the IEA.

Oil and gas are not the problem – underdevelopment is

“A bank should evaluate investment in an African oil field based on a project’s viability and associated risk, just as it would for a Norwegian, British or American project. Yet they don’t. This is precisely why the AEC plans to hold several banks legally accountable for promoting financial apartheid in the energy sector,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC.

The Clean Cooking Challenge

With over 900 million people in Africa living without access to clean cooking solutions, addressing the problem of energy security is no longer an isolated challenge – it’s a strategic imperative. If Africa were to listen to the IEA, there would be no investment to address this challenge. Europe would not gain access to African gas supplies, making projects such as Angola LNG, Congo LNG, Greater Tortue Ahmeyim in Senegal/Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea’s Gas Mega Hub and Algerian production facilities obsolete. At a time when Mozambique LNG is resuming and Libya, Egypt and Nigeria are looking to produce more, IEA recommendations could prove catastrophic for Africa’s clean cooking quest.

Delivering remarks during the IEA’s 2026 Ministerial this week, Secretary Wright underscored that with $4 billion invested annually, the world can accelerate the rollout of clean cooking solutions and lift nearly two billion people out of energy poverty. While the IEA should be at the forefront of this drive, Secretary Wright highlighted how a focus on climate change has redirected critical financing away from hydrocarbons.

“The world today spends $1 trillion in the name of fighting climate change – collectively over $10 trillion in the last 20 years. What has been the upside of that? Only 2.6% of global energy comes from solar, wind, batteries and the increased transmission lines to promote them. This has only had meaningful penetration in rich countries,” he said.

A 2024 report by U.S. Senator John Barrasso further condemns the IEA for its renewable approach, arguing that the organization is increasingly responsible for feeding the unrealistic view that emerging economies can develop using only renewables. This shift began in 2020 when the IEA ceased creating energy market forecasts based on actual demand and decided to focus exclusively on hypothetical scenarios aligned with extreme emissions reduction targets.

This goes against the very mandate by which the IEA was established. Following an oil crisis and spike in prices in 1974, the IEA was established to ensure reliable, affordable and secure energy supplies worldwide. The organization’s recent history has contradicted this mandate.

“Africa will not make energy poverty history by abandoning the very resources that can fund its development. Oil and gas are not the problem – underdevelopment is. Organizations such as the IEA have played a central role in restricting financing, politicizing fossil fuels and impacting African energy development. That needs to stop,” adds Ayuk.

A Step in the Right Direction

Despite its history of inaction, the IEA seems to be moving in the right direction, announcing that it will host the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) – launched in 2010 – to tackle the global clean cooking crisis. The IEA will partner with governments and industry to accelerate universal clean cooking access, integrating the CCA within the IEA. The U.S. is also ramping-up its clean cooking support. Secretary Wright announced the launch of a Clean Cooking Accelerator Program to help build infrastructure to enable faster deployment of clean cooking solutions – focusing primarily on Africa. While these efforts are notable, much more needs to be done.

“Reform at the IEA must go beyond press releases. It must include a recalibration of outlooks to reflect differentiated development pathways, a rejection of blanket investment bans and an acknowledgment that African hydrocarbons are compatible with global climate goals,” Ayuk stated. “The AEC believes that Secretary Wright needs to put more teeth on his clean cooking and energy poverty plan. The African private sector will fund it. We don’t want aid – we want partnerships.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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Energy

Gwede Mantashe Joins African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 as South Africa’s Petroleum Reforms Open the Orange Basin to Drilling

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11 hours ago

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June 9, 2026

By

African Energy Chamber

A new petroleum law and the prospect of fresh Orange Basin drilling is resetting South Africa’s upstream, and Minister Mantashe is taking the AEW host nation’s case to the global market

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, June 8, 2026/APO Group/ –Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources of the Republic of South Africa, has been confirmed as a featured speaker at the upcoming African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 Conference and Exhibition, where he is expected to lay out the reform agenda reshaping the country’s upstream oil and gas sector and its drive to convert long-stranded offshore gas into production.

 

South Africa is pursuing one of the most significant upstream overhauls in its history, anchored by a new law that gives oil and gas their own regulatory regime for the first time. The reforms position the host nation as both a destination for exploration capital and a future producer along an Atlantic margin that has drawn the world’s largest oil companies to the region.

At the center of the shift is the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Act (UPRDA), which President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law in October 2024. The Act separates petroleum from the mining statute that has long regulated both sectors. It also creates a single petroleum right covering exploration and production along with a 20% carried interest for the state. The UPRDA awaits a presidential proclamation to take effect, and implementing regulations that went through a further round of industry comment in early 2026 are now being finalized.

A clear petroleum framework and a credible state partner are what international capital needs to commit to the Orange Basin

Mantashe has emerged as the most forceful advocate for accelerating the sector. He has long-argued that South Africa must shift from importing refined products to producing its own, warning that dependence on foreign supply leaves the economy exposed to global price shocks. This shift becomes increasingly more importance in the current global climate, where supply security has become a major challenge – particularly for import-reliance economies such as South Africa. As such, Mantashe has repeatedly pressed for faster licensing and fewer legal delays to exploration. AEW 2026 is a key platform to bring this discussion to a global audience.

“South Africa has the geology for exploration. Now it is building the regulatory certainty it needs to turn discoveries into bankable projects,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “A clear petroleum framework and a credible state partner are what international capital needs to commit to the Orange Basin.”

Offshore, TotalEnergies – operator of Block 3B/4B in the Orange Basin – is preparing to begin drilling in South African waters in 2026 pending final regulatory approvals. The acreage sits on trend with the Venus discovery in neighboring Namibia, where TotalEnergies is developing the basin’s first oil project.

Onshore, momentum is building in Mpumalanga, where gas developer Kinetiko Energy’s Amersfoort project has logged sustained high-flow results and is advancing plans for an LNG pilot plant. Mantashe has also signaled that government is moving to lift the long-standing moratorium on shale gas development, with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) estimating recoverable Karoo reserves at 209 tcf.

Mantashe is also expected to report on successes of the South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC), the state entity formed in May 2025 through the merger of PetroSA, iGas and the Strategic Fuel Fund. Positioned as the country’s petroleum champion, SANPC is intended to anchor state participation across the value chain as South Africa works toward 6 GW of gas-fired power by 2030.

As AEW 2026 prepares to convene policymakers, investors and operators at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from October 12-16, Mantashe’s address carries added weight as the host nation’s signal to the market. His message is expected to be direct: South Africa is open for upstream investment and ready to move from potential to production.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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Mining Review Africa expands coverage to include global mining news

Published

11 hours ago

on

June 9, 2026

By

vukagroup

The expanded editorial scope aligns with Vuka Group’s commitment to delivering timely, relevant and insightful content that supports informed decision-making across the mining value chain

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, June 8, 2026/APO Group/ –Vuka Group’s Mining Review Africa (https://WeAreVUKA.com), a leading source of mining industry news and insights, is expanding its editorial coverage to include major mining developments from around the world.

 

While Mining Review Africa remains firmly committed to reporting on the opportunities, challenges and successes shaping Africa’s mining sector, readers will now also benefit from coverage of international projects, investments, technologies, commodity markets and policy developments influencing the global mining industry.

The move reflects the increasingly interconnected nature of the mining sector, where developments in one region can have significant implications for investment decisions, supply chains, commodity markets, and mining operations worldwide.

Expanding our coverage enables us to deliver a more comprehensive view of the mining industry while maintaining our strong focus on Africa

“As the mining industry continues to evolve on a global scale, our readers are seeking greater context around international developments that impact Africa and the wider resources sector,” said Mining Review Africa Editor-in-Chief, Gerard Peter.

“Expanding our coverage enables us to deliver a more comprehensive view of the mining industry while maintaining our strong focus on Africa.”

Readers can expect enhanced reporting on major mining projects, mergers and acquisitions, sustainability initiatives, technological innovation, critical minerals, energy transition developments and regulatory changes from key mining jurisdictions worldwide.

The expanded editorial scope aligns with Vuka Group’s commitment to delivering timely, relevant and insightful content that supports informed decision-making across the mining value chain.

Mining Review Africa has established itself as a trusted voice within the African mining industry, providing news, analysis and thought leadership for mining professionals, investors, suppliers and policymakers. By broadening its coverage, the publication aims to give readers a deeper understanding of the global forces shaping the future of mining, while continuing to place African mining stories at the centre of its reporting.

For readers, this means access to a wider range of industry intelligence, bringing together African mining news and key international developments on a single trusted platform.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

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Energy

Libya Energy & Economic Summit (LEES) 2027 to Define Libya’s Next Phase of Energy Expansion in Tripoli

Published

4 days ago

on

June 5, 2026

By

Etu Energias

Returning for its fifth edition, LEES 2027 will advance Libya’s $18 billion energy pipeline, targeting 1.6–2 million bpd, gas megaprojects and renewables

TRIPOLI, Libya, June 4, 2026/APO Group/ –The fifth edition of the Libya Energy & Economic Summit (LEES) 2027 returns to Tripoli on January 23–25. Positioned as Libya’s landmark energy event, LEES serves as the country’s premier international platform for investment, technical collaboration and private sector engagement across oil, gas, power and renewables.

 

LEES 2027 builds directly on the outcomes of LEES 2026, which marked Libya’s shift from post-recovery stabilization to execution-led development. The 2026 edition established an estimated $18 billion pipeline of energy and infrastructure projects and repositioned the sector from ambition to delivery, setting the foundation for the 2027 summit’s execution-focused agenda.

 

A central focus for 2027 is upstream acceleration. The National Oil Corporation’s (NOC) 2026 licensing round introduced 22 on- and offshore exploration blocks, the country’s first in 17 years, alongside a mandate to drill 70 to 100 new wells annually. With support from the Ministry of Oil & Gas, LEES 2027 will evaluate initial seismic results, contract awards and the transition from exploration rights into operational development phases.

Production expansion remains a core investment theme. Libya’s output stabilized at approximately 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2026, with LEES 2027 targeting pathways toward 1.6 million bpd in the near term and a long-term ambition of 2 million bpd. The summit – endorsed directly by the NOC – will focus on infrastructure bottlenecks, field optimization and midstream capacity required to support higher output levels.

 

Gas monetization and large-scale infrastructure development will also feature prominently. Eni’s $8 billion offshore Structures A&E project remains on track for completion by late 2027, while discussions around Chevron-linked shale studies highlight potential resources estimated at 123 trillion cubic feet of gas and 18 billion barrels of oil across key basins, including Sirte, Murzuq and Ghadames.

Moving from licensing and planning into large-scale execution and infrastructure delivery, LEES 2027 is a focal point for this critical transformation in Libya’s energy sector

 

The sector aims to attract an estimated $3–4 billion in annual drilling investment following unified drilling regulations announced in 2026. LEES 2027 will assess early implementation outcomes, including operational safety, fiscal predictability and contract execution efficiency across upstream assets.

 

Meanwhile, Libya’s 4 GW solar roadmap is advancing, anchored by TotalEnergies’ 500 MW Sadada solar project. Supported by the Renewable Energy Authority of Libya as an institutional partner, LEES 2027 is expected to focus on financial close milestones, construction timelines and the scaling of independent power purchase structures within the national grid strategy.

 

Human capital development will also remain a strategic pillar at next year’s event, with the Energy JEEL initiative having trained more than 900 youth participants aged 15–35 in engineering, digital systems and energy operations, forming a national talent pipeline aligned with Libya’s long-term energy transition and industrial expansion goals.

Against this backdrop, LEES 2027 – which takes place at the Tripoli International Convention Center – will serve as the sector’s execution benchmark, converting licensing frameworks, infrastructure commitments and production targets into operational outcomes across hydrocarbons, power generation and next-generation energy systems.

 

“Moving from licensing and planning into large-scale execution and infrastructure delivery, LEES 2027 is a focal point for this critical transformation in Libya’s energy sector,” says James Chester, CEO of LEES 2027 organizer Energy Capital & Power. “It will be a defining platform where investment commitments from 2026 are translated into measurable production, capacity expansion and long-term energy security outcomes.”

 

Join industry leaders at the Libya Energy & Economic Summit 2027 in Tripoli and explore investment opportunities in one of Africa’s most dynamic energy markets. LEES 2027 offers a premier platform for partnerships, innovation and sector growth. Visit www.LibyaSummit.com to secure your participation. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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