Cross-border Reporting Project

Fossil fuel expansion in Africa – Dismantling the fossil fuel industry

At a time when global climate initiatives are at the forefront, Africa is witnessing a surge in oil and gas projects. Countries such as Senegal, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, and Uganda are exploring their fossil fuel potential. Our new project investigates case studies from across the continent.

In our cross-border research project, we will be investigating the shifts in Africa's fossil fuel industry, with the aim of providing a comprehensive picture of the fossil fuel rollback across the continent.

Reporting Project Fossil fuel expansion in Africa

Dismantling the Fossil Fuel Industry

April 15, 2024

Report Fossil Fuel Exploration in South Africa

Small-Scale Fishers Worry Over Total's Offshore Drilling in South Africa

French energy giant TotalEnergies wants to explore South Africa's biodiverse coastline for oil and gas, risking environmental damage. The move pits the company against environmentalists and small-scale fishermen, who fear the impact on their livelihoods and the pristine coastal ecosystem.

January 14, 2024

Report Carbon Offset in Mozambique

Mozambique Steps into Carbon Trading: Environmental Hazards Ahead

Mozambique's ambition to engage in carbon trading is attracting attention for its environmental implications. Given Mozambique's track record of environmental mismanagement and corruption, there's growing concern that entering the carbon market could exacerbate global pollution rather than alleviate it.

January 14, 2024

Report Oil Pipeline in Uganda

Women left in the trenches as Ugandan government and TotalEnergies drill for oil

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is notorious for the socio-economic and environmental impacts that it will continue to devastate. The burden of these impacts has been borne by women who have been dispossessed of their land, placing them at the forefront of the consequences. This is the story of how women bear the brunt of EACOP's development.

January 14, 2024

Report Oil Pipeline in Uganda

The impact and the pushback: How Ugandan citizens are taking a stand against EACOP

Environmental degradation, declining standard of living, human-wildlife conflict, and intimidation are some of the few ways in which the EACOP project has bullied its way to securing what they label national development. Local activists however are not taking this sitting down, risking their lives to send a message to the government to #StopEACOP.

January 14, 2024

Report Oil and Gas Projects in Senegal

The next fossil fuel trap?

As the world turns to renewable energy, Senegal is poised to become an exporter of fossil fuels. This move comes with high expectations, but also with considerable skepticism and criticism. An in-depth look at Senegal's pivotal energy decision.

January 14, 2024

Report Oil exploration in Namibia:

Fossil rollback while moving toward becoming the world’s clean energy hub

On the one side you see green hydrogen infrastructure, solar panels and wind turbines; on the other, an oil rig in the deep ocean waters.. That is the contradicting picture you get when you visit Lüderitz in the southwest of Namibia. Even though this small Southern African country is well on its way to become a global producer of green hydrogen, it’s taking the fossil fuel industry along for the ride as the government says the industry is needed for a just and equitable transition - experts say.

December 13, 2023

Report Cabo Delgado's Crisis

The Harsh Reality of Mozambique's Gas Boom

The Mozambican government is pressuring foreign oil companies to resume oil and gas exploration in Cabo Delgado, despite recent terrorist attacks. Locals suspect the attacks are linked to the multi-billion dollar projects, which are also seen as environmentally damaging.

December 13, 2023

Podcast Dismantling the Fossil Fuel Industry

New Podcast Series on the Expansion of Fossil Fuels in Africa

In the second series of the Climate Justice Central Podcast, we're diving into how countries on the African continent are getting more involved in oil and gas projects.

November 11, 2023

Podcast Fossil Fuel Expansion in Africa

The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is gaining momentum

Fadhel Kaboub, an economist from Tunisia currently working with Power Shift Africa, talks about the growth of fossil fuels in Africa and the role of global economic and political power structures. He emphasizes the call for a complete global phase-out of fossil fuels, as proposed by the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative.

November 11, 2023

Report Gas Exploitation in Cabo Delgado

Western companies drill new wells in Mozambique as Europe seeks alternative sources to Russia

Oil giants such as Eni, TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil are pouring billions into Mozambican projects for a European market in high demand, exacerbated by the situation in Ukraine. Despite climate warnings, Mozambique's government persists, echoing fossil fuel disinformation.

October 30, 2023

Interview East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in Uganda

Environmental rape, false promises and unrealised compensation – where the EACOP stands

A promise of socio-economic development from the East African Crude Oil has turned sour before the project has even reached financial close; possibly paving the way for what communities and ecosystems surrounding the pipeline are to expect - a trail of destruction and environmental degradation.

October 28, 2023

Analysis Gas Production in Mozambique

Explainer: Cabo Delgado – Grounds for Conflict

In recent years, Cabo Delgado, a coastal province in northern Mozambique, has become synonymous with vast natural gas reserves and the promise of economic prosperity. At the same time, the extraction of these resources has been accompanied by violent conflict and environmental concerns.

October 28, 2023

Interview Seismic Exploration in South Africa

Battle over Wild Coast: “We won’t give up”

Activist Nonhle Mbuthuma vows that climate activists and civil society will continue opposing Shell’s bid to extract oil and gas off the shore of the Wild Coast as Shell pursues its seismic exploration ambitions off pristine coast.

October 28, 2023

Interview Oil Drilling in the Okavango Delta

The devil is in the details: Okavango Delta community left unheard

The Okavango Delta, a pristine African wetland and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is under threat from oil exploration, which has begun with little regard for the concerns of local communities. In an interview with CJC, Corinna van Wyk of the Legal Assistance Centre of Namibia reveals ReconAfrica's disregard for transparent procedures, raising serious questions about conservation and governance in the region.

October 28, 2023

Analysis Explainer: Oil Drilling in the Okavango Delta

Namibian Wilderness at Stake

The exploration for oil and gas in the Okavango Delta region, spearheaded by ReconAfrica, a Canadian company, is a project entwined with significant environmental and socio-cultural risks. An overview.

October 28, 2023