With nearly 60% of Africa’s population under the age of 25, policymakers across the continent can guarantee the future prospects of the youngest region in the world by using the affordable, cleaner, and abundant natural gas in their energy plans, Yury Sentyurin, secretary-general of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum has said.
Speaking at the recently-held African Energy Week, the representative of the 18-nation association of the world’s largest gas producers emphasised that communities in Africa deserve access to sustainable modern energy, such as natural gas, and become an integral part of the global movement to eradicate energy poverty.
UN estimates show that currently 789mn people in Africa do not have access to clean cooking fuel and more than 535mn with no access to electrification.  
“These grim figures diminish the progress made on UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and certainly the SDG7 of “Affordable and Clean Energy”. And the pressure on African countries is mounting to curtail investment in natural gas as part of the energy transition. This is despite the fact that when it comes to CO2 emissions, sub-Saharan Africa is collectively responsible for barely half a percent of all global emissions,” Sentyurin said.
“The GECF will continue to speak up for Africa for we believe that it is very much in the power of Africa – a power that rests with Africans themselves – to change the destiny of the continent by harnessing the true potential of gas and transform itself from an energy-poor region into one that can drive the world forward.”
According to latest figures available with the GECF Global Gas Outlook, Africa is bestowed with numerous natural resources, including vast reserves of natural gas. Countries in Africa account for 8% of global gas reserves, 6% of global marketed production and 7% of global gas exports. However, they account only for 4% of global gas consumption.
The GECF forecasts Africa to witness the highest growth rate in natural gas among all regions of the world, at nearly 150% up to 2050. Countries such as Senegal and Mauritania in Africa stand on the precipice of the league of gas exporters in the short-term, while Mozambique and Tanzania are expected to become natural gas exporters in the medium- and long-term.
The GECF’s first-ever Annual Gas Market Report emphasises that Africa boasts a number of promising growth indicators, for example, in the area of power generation, in transport through natural gas vehicles (NGVs), and in innovative investments.