The geopolitics and geoeconomics of energy in Africa (GEOAFRICA)

The project analyses the geopolitics of energy in Africa. In the past 20 years, thanks to the discovery of huge offshore oil and gas resources. Africa has acquired a core position in global energy geopolitics, becoming key to the energy supply policy of great powers and attracting numerous international oil companies. However, Africa needs to address several challenges at the demographic, social, economic, political and energy level. Indeed, it has become essential to ensure that Africa populations can finally benefit from the exploitation of the resources of their countries, by a substantial improvement in local governance and by developing access to energy. Thus, Africa’s role in the world’s energy scene will be transformed. The project seeks to analyse how Africa is inserted in the global energy markets, to understand how this insertion impacts the local political and economic systems, and potential effects on the strategy of the great powers (Europe, USA, China, India, etc). The project will draw a complete panorama of the African energy scene and will present the main issues, both from an international and an African perspective. In particular it will try to elaborate the conditions needed in Africa to make sure the countries of the continent are able to provide sustainable and reliable energy to its citizens and industries, which is a prerequisite for socio economic development, and at the same time are able to supply the world with energy and mineral resources in a sustainable way also to the benefit of the development of the African continent.