How China’s green tech is undercutting Trump’s ‘drill, baby, drill’ oil strategy in Africa
African nations are increasingly adopting Chinese-funded renewable energy technologies, such as solar and wind, as a cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels. This shift is occurring despite US-led efforts to promote traditional oil and gas extraction.
Why it matters
The transition highlights a significant geopolitical shift in energy infrastructure investment, with China positioning itself as a primary partner for Africa's green energy development.
In the US, the push is on to “drill, baby, drill”. In China, the national strategy is to “walk towards the light”. Two energy behemoths, two contrasting approaches to energy.
For African countries working out which way to go, the deciding factor is cost and, with China’s advances in solar generation and battery technologies making acquisitions cheaper, a consensus is coalescing across the continent around renewables.
“Africa’s solar revolution is here,” said Sonia Dunlop, CEO of the Global Solar Council (GSC). “Growth is spreading to new markets across the continent, and rooftop and distributed systems are putting power directly into the hands of households and businesses.”
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