The African Climate Foundation (ACF) has advised African governments to exercise caution when accepting gas investments from European countries.

According to ACF, some gas investments from European countries may bring short-term benefits that could have long-term implications for the continent.

European countries are now scrambling to find alternative gas sources due to the war in Ukraine, with ACF noting that the countries cannot be trusted as they have shown ‘double standards’.

ACF, in a statement, said that although Russia was hit with sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine, these sanctions excluded Russian oil and gas, but did prevent African countries from paying for imported cereals and fertilisers, leading the continent to the brink of complete food insecurity.

The foundation urged African countries to ensure there is enough gas for local consumption before trying to meet Europe’s needs.

‘While Europe readies itself to cut off Russia completely, little is being done to assist African countries that are struggling with a worsening food crisis due to the Russia-Ukraine war and made worse by the EU’s sanctions on Russian banks’, ACF said in a statement.

‘We are calling out the double standards that saw Africa punished for its reliance on gas. We urge these countries to exercise caution when accepting gas investments which may bring short-term benefits but will have long-term implications.

‘African exporters must be savvy and pay attention to the terms of the production-sharing contracts that will accompany these investments: if they factor in shorter cost recovery times by investing in multinationals, the countries may take a while to accrue benefits from the current boom in demand or, in the worst-case scenario, actually not benefit at all’.

Data from the African Development Bank (AfDB) shows that about 30 million metric tonnes of food imported annually by Africa from Russia and Ukraine will be lost for this year while fertiliser prices have tripled, with Africa facing some two million metric tonnes of fertiliser shortage, which risks reducing food production in Africa by between 20 to 50 percent.

The continental bank also noted that the Russia-Ukraine conflict could lead to an additional 1.8 to 2.1 million people in Africa being pushed into extreme poverty in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Photo source: Paul Kagame