Africa’s energy future cannot be built on exclusion

Across many Western countries, anti-energy activists attack the very oil and gas industry that provides tax revenue to build schools, pave roads and fund universities. Unreasonable limits on oil and gas activity do not just target companies – they ultimately harm societies, weaken economies, and destroy jobs.Africa cannot afford to follow that path. At the African Energy Chamber (AEC) we have always believed in staying organised to defend this industry and fight back when necessary.The Chamber has invested significant effort in this fight because supporting the oil and gas industry is essential to Africa’s development and economic sovereignty. At the AEC, we reject the idea that governments should pick energy winners and losers instead of allowing free-market principles to work. By rallying continued investment into Africa, we defend the same market foundations that built many of today’s strongest global economies. That is why regulatory clarity, efficient permitting, and consistent enforcement are essential to attracting both domestic and foreign capital – work the AEC advances every day.Africa’s energy must deliver for AfricansFor many Africans, scepticism about oil and gas has long centred on one question: where are the jobs and opportunities? This is why we remain unapologetic advocates of local content. Expecting the industry to create jobs for Africans is not radical – it is right.The industry has made meaningful progress. It has trained professionals, developed talent, and produced African entrepreneurs now acquiring assets across the continent. The leadership of companies such as Seplat, Renaissance Energy, Oando, Etu Energias, First E&amp;P, ND Western, and numerous service firms reflects careers built within major IOCs and global service companies. From Angola and Mozambique to Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Senegal, few industries have created comparable pathways for African leadership.In many cases, this progress required governments to push firmly for African inclusion – something regulators such as the NUPRC, ANPG, Ghana Petroleum Commission, and authorities in Namibia, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and South Africa must never forget.Inclusion is not optionalSerious concerns remain. Policies or practices that exclude Black professionals from employment opportunities contradict the very principles of growth, fairness and partnership the industry claims to uphold. Frontier Energy Network’s hiring practices – widely understood across the industry to exclude Black professionals – are unacceptable. Full stop.This is not who our industry claims to be, and it is incompatible with partnership in Africa. Frontier’s leadership, including Daniel Davidson, has remained obstinate on this issue, and we are prepared to take this fight to the end. An organisation that earns the lion’s share of its revenue from Africans cannot expect to benefit from African markets, governments and capital while denying fair employment to Africans.This moment calls for moral conviction. Africans are watching. No organisation seeking partnership, investment, or credibility in Africa can ignore inclusion or dismiss legitimate concerns about discrimination.In 2026, we should not still be confronting barriers rooted in the past. If the Africa Energies Summit wants African support, it must hire Black professionals. When Daniel Davidson refuses to do so and actively locks them out, the industry feels it – like a one-eyed quarterback seeing only half the field.The industry must chooseWe are therefore considering a targeted, lawful, and selective boycott against institutions that refuse to uphold inclusive hiring. Companies that continue to treat Black professionals as second-class participants must face consequences. Inclusion drives growth, and when the industry grows, everyone benefits. It is simply good business.Service companies, investors, conference organisers, and partners all share responsibility. One cannot seek licences, approvals, and government goodwill while tolerating exclusionary behaviour. Companies such as TGS – and others involved in platforms perceived as unwelcoming to Black professionals – must recognise their influence and act accordingly. As Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us, “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” Companies must pick a side.African ministers and regulators attending the Africa Energies Summit cannot claim to value local content while aligning with institutions that refuse to hire Black professionals. The days when Black professionals were merely spectators in Africa’s oil and gas development are over. Our industry must remain vigilant. We cannot repeat past mistakes or give anti-oil extremists an opportunity to tell African youth, “We told you so.”Ignoring local content risks undermining Africa’s oil and gas future. The Chamber takes this stance not lightly but from decades of advocacy, criticism endured, and an unwavering belief in the sector’s importance to the continent. Listening to Black professionals who feel excluded is not optional – it is necessary.In the coming weeks, the Chamber will engage African officials and industry leaders to seek clear commitments to inclusive hiring and equal opportunity. Where progress is absent, we will exercise our lawful right to protest. Oil and gas professionals are good people, and this industry remains vital to ending energy poverty and strengthening global energy security.We cannot allow division to weaken our shared mission. The Chamber has consistently been a model of pragmatic leadership, even when facing distractions such as those posed by Frontier Energy Network and the Africa Energies Summit. Africa’s energy future must be built on investment, opportunity, and inclusion for all. We shall overcome. – Distributed by APO on behalf of the AEC

Africa’s energy future cannot be built on exclusion

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Namibian Sun 2026-05-18

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Africa’s energy future cannot be built on exclusion

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Namibian Sun 2026-05-18

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