Maputo, July 29, 2025 (Lusa) - The Southern African Resources Watch (SARW) on Tuesday in Maputo, called on African parliaments to ensure a more "sustainable and inclusive" energy transition on the continent.
“We ask: how can we promote a responsible transition? It is about recognising that, even though oil and gas are still important to our economies, we must prepare for a cleaner, more equitable and more sustainable future,” said Claude Kabemba, executive director of SARW.
Speaking in Maputo during the regional inter-parliamentary conference on climate change, energy transition and the oil and gas sector in the southern region, which begins today, he said that SARW believes that parliaments are in a unique position to be ‘champions’ in leading this change.
"You [parliamentarians] shape legislation, exercise oversight of the executive authority and seek to see companies adhere to human rights and environmental standards. This comes down to holding governments and companies accountable, and you must ensure that you amplify the will of the people - the voices of the community that are often excluded from energy planning, but who are contributors through various taxes," said Kabemba, who heads that non-governmental organisation (NGO).
For the executive director of the Institute for Multiparty Democracy (IMD), Hermenegildo Mulhovo, the energy transition is not just an environmental response, but a “strategic opportunity” to build more diversified, resilient and sustainable economies.
In this regard, he highlighted the possibility of investing in renewable sources such as solar, hydro and wind energy, arguing that this can contribute to “ensuring energy security, creating green jobs, increasing access to energy and aligning our countries with international commitments to combat climate change”.
“This is a step that requires responsibility and political leadership, with a sense of social justice and vision for the future of our region,” added the leader of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) IMD.
The IMD believes that this transition cannot be treated solely as a “technical or economic issue”, but must be inclusive and democratic.
“Decisions about the energy future of our countries must be participatory, involve communities and pass through parliaments, which represent the will of citizens,” he concluded.
On 19 July, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga said that Mozambique has unique conditions in Africa to be the energy hub of the south of the continent, promising support for projects to increase production capacity.
“This country has everything it needs to create the right kind of energy and transmission capacity. And frankly, in this part of Africa, no one else has the capacity or ability to do what can be done with this country’s assets,” said Ajay Banga, speaking to journalists after visiting the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Plant (HCB).
The regional interparliamentary conference on climate change brings together MPs from five southern African countries with strong potential in the oil and gas sector, government representatives, civil society organisations and international partners.
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