As Africa navigates an urgent transition to sustainable energy, the continent grapples with the dual challenges of exploiting its rich fossil fuel resources while fostering the growth of renewable energy projects. While these efforts are crucial for economic growth and energy access, they often come with unintended consequences, including exacerbating conflicts within communities and across borders. Both fossil fuel extraction and large-scale renewable projects have been shown to contribute to local and regional tensions, as competition for resources, environmental degradation, and socio-economic disparities ignite long-standing grievances.
Fossil Fuels and Conflict: A Legacy of Resource Curse
Historically, fossil fuel extraction has been closely associated with the “resource curse”, where countries rich in natural resources experience stagnated growth, corruption, and conflict rather than widespread development. Nigeria, Angola, and South Sudan are prime examples where fossil fuel resources, particularly oil, have triggered and prolonged conflicts.
In Nigeria, for instance, oil wealth from the Niger Delta has sparked significant unrest over the years. Despite the region’s rich oil reserves, local communities have faced severe environmental degradation, pollution, and corruption, which have deprived them of the benefits of these resources. Militants and insurgent groups, including the Niger Delta Avengers, have emerged in response, sabotaging oil infrastructure and demanding greater control over local resources. This has led to widespread security concerns, impacting local populations, international oil companies, and Nigeria’s economic stability.
In Angola, oil wealth has similarly fuelled a civil war that lasted over 27 years, where control over oil resources became a key factor in the conflict’s longevity. Even after the civil war ended, communities living in oil-rich areas reported being marginalised, with oil revenues often benefiting elites rather than local populations. The dynamics in Angola illustrate how fossil fuels can concentrate wealth and power, leading to tensions among communities excluded from these resources.
Renewable Energy Projects: New Conflicts in Old Forms
Renewable energy projects, while typically more environmentally sustainable than fossil fuels, are not immune to generating conflict.
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Renewable energy projects, while typically more environmentally sustainable than fossil fuels, are not immune to generating conflict. Wind and solar farms, hydroelectric dams, and geothermal plants all require significant land and water resources, often leading to disputes over land rights and environmental impact. Moreover, while such projects are often touted as “green” or “just transitions,” they frequently fall short in inclusivity, overlooking the rights of local communities who bear the brunt of the environmental and social impacts.
In Kenya, for example, the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project, one of Africa’s largest wind farms, was meant to supply clean energy and contribute to the national grid. However, the project has faced significant opposition from the indigenous Turkana community, who claim that they were not adequately consulted and did not give Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for the use of their ancestral lands. Disputes over land rights and the distribution of benefits from the project have sparked tensions, with the community calling for greater transparency and involvement in the decision-making process.
Similarly, in Ethiopia, the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River has sparked geopolitical tensions, particularly with Egypt and Sudan, which rely heavily on the Nile’s water flow for agriculture and sustenance. While the dam promises to provide Ethiopia with substantial hydroelectric power, critics argue that the project threatens water access for downstream countries, potentially leading to conflict if a mutually agreeable water-sharing arrangement cannot be reached.
Socio-Economic Impacts and the Risk of Marginalisation
Both fossil fuel and renewable energy projects often lead to the displacement of communities and loss of livelihoods, exacerbating socio-economic inequality. Fossil fuel extraction typically requires large tracts of land, sometimes displacing farming communities or fishermen without adequate compensation. Similarly, large-scale renewable projects require land, affecting local agricultural practices, wildlife habitats, and even sacred sites.
Renewable energy projects can sometimes replicate the socio-economic imbalances seen in fossil fuel projects. Local communities frequently report that while these projects are developed under the promise of job creation and economic upliftment, they rarely see direct benefits. This is particularly evident when foreign firms or urban-based companies hold majority ownership in renewable projects, sidelining local job opportunities and economic participation. This exclusion can lead to grievances, as communities feel exploited rather than empowered by these projects.
Environmental Degradation and Resource Competition
While renewable energy projects are less polluting than fossil fuels, they are not without environmental impacts. Large-scale solar farms, for example, can disrupt local ecosystems, requiring significant water for cleaning solar panels in arid regions. Wind farms have also been reported to impact bird populations and disrupt local environments. Fossil fuel projects, with their pollution and habitat destruction, often lead to a depletion of local resources, including clean water and arable land, thereby intensifying competition and creating conditions for conflict.
In regions already strained by water scarcity, such as the Sahel, competition over water resources can become particularly intense. Extractive industries, including both fossil fuels and, increasingly, lithium mining for renewable energy storage, place additional pressure on these resources, with local communities often finding themselves in competition with powerful corporations backed by state interests.
The Way Forward: Inclusive Development and Stakeholder Engagement
To mitigate the potential for conflict associated with energy projects, governments, private sector investors, and international stakeholders must adopt an inclusive approach that prioritises community engagement, transparency, and fair benefit-sharing.
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To mitigate the potential for conflict associated with energy projects, governments, private sector investors, and international stakeholders must adopt an inclusive approach that prioritises community engagement, transparency, and fair benefit-sharing. This involves going beyond mere consultation to ensure that local communities are active stakeholders with clear rights to benefit from these projects.
Policies that mandate FPIC are crucial for reducing conflicts, as they provide a framework for respecting indigenous and local land rights. Strengthening regulatory frameworks that govern both fossil fuel and renewable energy projects can also help protect local interests.
Additionally, renewable energy projects should be designed with sustainability and resilience in mind, taking into account local environmental conditions and social dynamics. This includes smaller, community-owned energy projects that offer direct benefits to local populations, as opposed to mega projects that prioritise exports and corporate profits over local development.
Karabo Mokgonyana is the first and former African Union Youth Ambassador for Peace for Southern Africa. She is a Legal and Development Practitioner specialising in human rights protection, international trade and investment, and peace and security.
