NJ Ayuk, an entrepreneur, attorney, and best-selling author, has published his latest book, ‘A Just Transition: Making Energy Poverty History with an Energy Mix.’
Years of diligent research and in-depth analysis have resulted in this book, which sheds light on the sobering reality that is unfolding as the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) ambitious green energy policies continue to stifle and cripple energy economies across Africa.
While the rest of the world is dealing with a single major crisis, climate change, Africa is dealing with two: climate change and energy poverty. In order to address the effects of the climate crisis, world leaders established the Paris Agreement, which aims to keep global temperatures from rising in the long run by implementing an immediate transition to renewable energies.
As the continent facing the harshest effects of the climate crisis, the immediate transition will deny Africa the opportunity to develop, providing reliable energy to the over 600 million people who currently lack access to electricity while bearing a disproportionate share of the consequences of climate change. Simply put, the Paris Agreement’s mandated immediate transition will have disastrous consequences for Africa.
Against this backdrop, the book’s overarching goal is to provide answers to a number of critical questions. For starters, Africa bears a disproportionate share of not only the predicted future problems of climate change, but also the current, here-and-now problem of energy poverty. So, what are we to do? Should the goal of preventing climate change take precedence over the goal of addressing energy poverty? Should we instead concentrate on bringing power to the hundreds of millions of Africans who do not currently have access to it? Obviously, we should strive for both goals. Both are critical. But how do we go about it? Which one should come first?
The book investigates the best path forward for Africa’s socioeconomic prosperity while transitioning to a cleaner energy future. The IEA’s response is that renewables are the solution to Africa’s energy poverty. However, as the book explains, this is not the case. Renewable technologies are more expensive than most African countries can afford, and while the international community has offered to assist the continent in making the transition, international pledges have consistently fallen short, leaving Africa and other developing regions to wait for the assistance they were promised.
According to Ayuk, Africa can approach the energy transition in its own unique way. In his quest for answers to the aforementioned questions, Ayuk considers the role of natural gas in achieving Africa’s dual goals of energy transition and economic prosperity. Ayuk makes a strong case for using gas in Africa by looking at the quantities available, with details on its role in other economies, opportunities for development in Africa, and why Ayuk prefers gas over other resources.
What distinguishes the book from other energy-related publications is that it is based on what Africa requires. Ayuk emphasizes that Africa must chart its own course, make its own decisions, and decide whether or not to use its own resources. Simply put, Africa’s economic prosperity begins with gas.
‘A Just Transition: Making Energy Poverty History with an Energy Mix’ is available for purchase on Amazon
