As the global community accelerates its push towards renewable energy,
African energy leaders are advocating for a more balanced and realistic approach to the continent’s transition as the global community accelerates its push towards renewable energy.
Speaking at a high-level energy forum in Lagos hosted by TotalEnergies, industry executives, policymakers, and young professionals underscored the need for Africa to design its transition path, one that accommodates both climate ambitions and development priorities.
The forum, themed around the future of oil and gas in Africa, featured a vibrant panel session on energy security, local capacity development, and the shifting landscape of global energy markets. Participants agreed that while renewables are vital to long-term sustainability, fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, remain essential in the short to medium term to power industrial growth and create jobs.
“Africa cannot afford to abandon fossil fuels abruptly,” said one panellist. “Our focus must be on expanding access to reliable and affordable energy. Without this, economic transformation will remain out of reach.”
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Speakers at the event argued that Africa’s energy needs are fundamentally different from those of developed nations. They warned that applying a uniform global template to Africa’s transition could worsen poverty and stall development across the continent.
The panel also explored the increasingly complex nature of global energy pricing. Experts pointed out that traditional market forces—such as supply and demand—now share the stage with political rhetoric, investor behaviour, and geopolitics, all of which significantly influence oil and gas prices. These dynamics, they said, make it critical for Africa’s energy workforce to evolve.
There was a strong call for preparing a new generation of professionals who are not only technically sound in fossil fuel operations but also equipped with digital skills and a deep understanding of clean energy systems.
“We are entering an era where energy professionals must be as fluent in automation and artificial intelligence as they are in oilfield logistics,” said Chukwuma Ossaiga, area director for Emerson West Africa. “Adaptability is key. The energy workforce of the future must be creative, curious, and capable of navigating both the old and the new.”
Ossaiga stressed the importance of integrated thinking, highlighting the interconnection between energy policies, supply chains, and innovation. He noted that technologies like AI and machine learning are already transforming the oil and gas industry while offering pathways to optimise renewable energy deployment.
He also shared a personal story of how mentorship and corporate backing shaped his career. “TotalEnergies took me in and trained me when I had no support. That investment in people is what we must replicate for the next generation,” he said.
Victor Bandele, deputy managing director for deepwater, TotalEnergies, echoed these sentiments, emphasising the role of cross-border partnerships in building a robust energy talent pipeline. He highlighted ongoing collaboration between Nigerian universities and French training institutions that are equipping students with hybrid skills suited for both traditional and green energy sectors.
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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) was cited as a model for strategic adaptation. With its recent recruitment of over 1,000 young graduates and experienced workers and its investments in digital transformation, NNPC is repositioning itself to compete in the evolving global energy economy.
Discussions at the forum also touched on broader structural reforms needed to unlock Africa’s energy potential. These include dismantling visa restrictions within the continent, strengthening contract enforcement, and ensuring regulatory stability to attract long-term investment in energy infrastructure.
A common thread throughout the event was the consensus that natural gas should serve as a transitional or “bridging” fuel as Africa gradually scales up its renewable capacity. Sudden moves away from gas, participants warned, could intensify energy poverty, trigger economic shocks, and fuel unrest.
The forum emphasised that Africa’s young professionals are well-positioned to drive the continent’s energy future—but only if they take charge of their own learning and development. The challenge, as one speaker put it, is to be “technically versatile, digitally fluent, and strategically minded” in an energy landscape that is changing by the day.
