The centrality of energy transition: New global shifts and old realities for sub-Saharan Africa

This article develops a new understanding of energy transition through a qualitative historical analysis of the links between ‘so-called’ global transition and histories of colonialism and capitalism in the sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing from 52 energy transition materials centered on Africa, the article critiques dominant emphasis on global transitions and proposes a multiplicity of transitions from a justice and African perspective and proposes an alternative dialogue that leverages national and regional experiences. We find that drivers of energy transition centre on capital pools and financial concentration and energy supply chains but that these ignore possible plurality of transitions – which is crucial for delivering just transitions – but plentiful evidence also exist showing that this misaligns with national visions and socio-economic and political realities. The paper shows how the current framings of energy transition contradict and are misaligned with national conditions that shape realities and possibilities. As a result, new global shifts in energy architecture, we argue, produces old socio-economic and political realities in the way the sub-Saharan Africa is being integrated in the energy transition. Thus, rather than present energy transition as a new dawn for structural transformation across the sub-region, the current structure and organisation of the transition presents historical continuities of dispossession where social formations are marginalised. We conclude that instead of portraying energy transition as a global phenomenon, emphasis should be placed on the multiplicity of transitions based on historiies of colonialism and neoliberal capitalism. A variety of policy angles that can shape transitions and expansion of renewable energy sources in the region are discussed from an African perspective.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2025.105596