Communities demand stronger legal protection amid Africa's energy transition
Advocacy groups are calling for stronger legal protections for African communities affected by the extraction of critical minerals for renewable energy. The initiative seeks to ensure local participation and fair compensation as the continent transitions to green energy.
Why it matters
It addresses the social justice implications of the global energy transition and the potential exploitation of resource-rich developing nations.
SHINE Collab has called for stronger legal protection, community-led decision-making and greater accountability as the expansion of critical mineral extraction and clean-energy investments reshapes communities across Africa.
The call follows a dialogue bringing together lawyers, civil society organisations (CSOs) from across the African countries with substantial critical mineral resources and community representatives to examine the legal challenges emerging from Africa’s just energy transition, including extractivism, land rights, fair compensation, access to information and community participation.
The legal panel included Tapiwa Gorejena, a researcher and legal expert from WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organising), Tricia Abwooli from Akina Mama WaAfrica , Uganda, Amina Acola from GreenFaith Africa in Uganda and Victorine Kilembe, a lawyer and Deputy Secretary-General of Conseil pour la Défense des Environnements Démocratiques (CODED), a civil society organization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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