Education
AOW 2026: Africa needs oil, gas, renewables to end energy poverty – Mahama – EnviroNews
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President John Mahama of Ghana has declared that Africa cannot afford an energy transition that trades energy poverty for economic dislocation. Instead, he said, the continent must pursue a “pragmatic, development-focused” path that uses both renewables and oil & gas to power industrialization, create jobs, and keep the lights on.
“Africa must define its own transition,” Mahama said. “One that accounts for our development realities. We are not transitioning from abundance. We are transitioning from poverty to prosperity.”
He professed that Africa stands at a defining turning point, calling on the continent to take charge of its own energy transition by aggressively developing its resources to drive industrialization.
He stated this while delivering his presidential address at the opening ceremony of AOW Energy Week 2026 in Accra, Ghana.
Represented by the Chief of Staff to the President, Dr. Julius Debrah, the president emphasised that energy resources must drive industrialisation and job creation across the continent.
“Africa is at a redefining point, yet energy assets still constrain industrialization and job creation.”
“We must attract the capital required to create more jobs. We believe Africa must use its energy wealth as a foundation for industrialization and shared prosperity.”
The theme for AOW Energy 2026 centres on “Investing in African Natural Resources,” with core discussions directed at accelerating exploration, unlocking upstream partnerships, and aligning policy, infrastructure, and markets
He noted that the continent is bedeviled with a lot of challenges which include over 600 million Africans that have no access to electricity, 1 billion Africans lack clean cooking, over 80% of the global population without electricity lives in Africa, and rural electrification across the continent averaging just 25%.
“Renewables are important. But oil and gas remain critical for industrialization and for providing the cheap, reliable base energy that every past industrializer used,” he said.
He empasised that “since assuming office, Ghana has taken steps to restore confidence in its petroleum sector while ensuring it receive fair and lasting returns from its resources. Our message is clear: Ghana is open for business.”
“Africa must steward its own transition. We must develop our hydrocarbons aggressively while also building a sustainable energy future. We must strengthen regional energy cooperation and mobilize African and international capital.
“Government will continue to support energy infrastructure and prioritize Ghana’s interest while being open to international partnerships.”
“The measure of Africa Oil Week will be the quality of what we deliver together. African energy power will be defined by sustainable energy, the industries built, and the jobs created,” Dr. Debrah said.
The President called for a shift in mindset – from measuring success by barrels and cubic feet, to measuring it by value created for people. That means more refining, more petrochemicals, and deeper local content. He pointed to Ghana as proof. The government reversed plans to sell its refinery. Less than two years later, it’s running and processing domestic crude.
A push to use more domestic gas for thermal power also cut liquid fuel imports and saved Ghana $500 million in one year. “We are reforming our fiscal regime, including reducing GNPC interest from 15% to 10% and extending the duration of petroleum agreements from 10 to 25 years.”
“Natural gas will remain central to Ghana’s energy transition. We have improved domestic gas consumption and made a savings of $500 million in one year. Our objective is to work with all our partners so that Ghana is a conducive place to conduct business.”
“If Africa is to advance and achieve development objectives, we must work together. When we work together, we will make progress. Africa has the market; what we need is the discipline to build credible institutions and mobilize capital for an economically prosperous and energy-secure Africa.”
Mahama urged more cross-border infrastructure. He cited the West African Gas Pipeline and Ghana’s electricity exports to Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire as models. Nigeria’s gas is also flowing into the region.With US policy shifting back toward fossil fuel production and global capital getting more selective, Mahama said Africa must move fast with predictable policies or risk being left behind.
“AOW must be more than a conference,” Mahama told delegates. “It must drive investments, into partnerships, into projects, into jobs, industries, revenue, and reliable energy.
”He closed with a call for “courage for bold policy choices, discipline to build credible institutions, and partnerships to mobilize the investments Africa needs.”For investors, the message was clear: Africa isn’t choosing between oil and renewables. It’s choosing development. And it’s open for business.