I totally agree with the need for power. Yes, the large financing has avoided any funding for anything but wind and solar. There are several small nuclear reactors that have good potential. Africa should build their own reactors. There are no legal restrictions on this, or on fuel production, unless a country signs a 123 agreement with the USA. With reasonable regulations that will be the least expensive most reliable power. https://deepfission.com/
Is one example. The DOE has several listed. I lived in the Philippines for 10 years. I have looked for small power plant that would power an island for several years. The simplicity of deep fission is very helpful. The ability to expand in a small physical space means you can purchase the power you need now and be able to add easily in the future.
Basically in the developed word irregular solar power replaces reliable fossil fuel power so that's a net negative, but in Africa solar power is the only power available and/or is equally reliable and affordable
Isn’t saying “Africa could be the richest country on Earth” (except for deeply entrenched corruption) like saying the Soviet Union could have been a grand success (except for Communism)? It just seems that decades and decades of systemic corruption is as intractable in Africa as Communism was in Russia for decades — and the USSR needed a total economic collapse for Communism to finally fail there. I just don’t see what catalyst could change the embedded culture of corruption in most of African.
Ordered also som skincare! Thank you for the informative article and I totally agree that trade is better that aid (with all the conditions that are often attached to it and that never reach the people it is intended for) or micro credit loans. I wish you a Merry X-mas and Happy New Year.
In about 10 years Africa is going to dictate labor prices. It's the only region still growing in population. And every other region on the planet is literally dying.
Interesting. I've heard the permits and bureaucracy stories many a time. How can Africans convince their governments to make this transition from high bureaucracy, corruption-blighted socialist governments to enterprise friendly ones?
Asia's median age is probably a bit lower than on the image because China makes up about a third of Asia's population and its average age is over 40. I think a lot of smaller Asian countries are in a similar position to African ones.
What's the point of bringing up the energy thing? You give Africans economic freedom and the energy problem will sort itself out with whatever is economical in different regions. Making energy a separate thing implies that government needs to provide that as a "public" service.
In a normal world, you liberalize the economy, investors show up, and the cheapest energy in each place wins. But energy is not a normal market right now, because a lot of the money that finances big power projects is political money and it is being steered away from fossil fuels from the outside (due to climate alarmism).
That’s why I bring up energy separately. Not because “government must provide it,” but because Africans also need the freedom to choose the energy mix that works for us, without foreign climate politics blocking investment.
"Unable to access international loans and funding for fossil fuel development, sub-Saharan African nations struggle to create enough power for their citizens. Meanwhile, everyday Africans are forced to burn biomass for their home energy needs – a toxic process that exposes users to potentially deadly smoke."
Speaking as a Westerner, I am pissed at what we have to pay for energy in order to support boondoggle energy projects forced on us by scientifically illiterate ideologues.
And now that those same people want to squander water and electrical resources on boondoggle data centers, all of a sudden they don't see a problem with wasting water and generating electricity by whatever means possible.
The people who have appointed themselves to 'saving the planet' are killing us.
Ordered some Skin Is Skin! Very informative post, thank you🙏
Thank you! 😊
I totally agree with the need for power. Yes, the large financing has avoided any funding for anything but wind and solar. There are several small nuclear reactors that have good potential. Africa should build their own reactors. There are no legal restrictions on this, or on fuel production, unless a country signs a 123 agreement with the USA. With reasonable regulations that will be the least expensive most reliable power. https://deepfission.com/
Is one example. The DOE has several listed. I lived in the Philippines for 10 years. I have looked for small power plant that would power an island for several years. The simplicity of deep fission is very helpful. The ability to expand in a small physical space means you can purchase the power you need now and be able to add easily in the future.
Trade, not aid...love it.
I saw a couple of interesting posts that seem highly related
First there was this on how solar panels work in Africa in a way that they don't in the developed world
https://climatedrift.substack.com/p/why-solarpunk-is-already-happening
Basically in the developed word irregular solar power replaces reliable fossil fuel power so that's a net negative, but in Africa solar power is the only power available and/or is equally reliable and affordable
Second there's the impact of Elon Musk's starlink, which brings high speed internet to the whole of Africa as opposed to where ever the local mobile phone companies have built towers - https://restofworld.org/2025/starlink-musk-internet-expansion/
I lived in West Africa as an American Peace Corps volunteer in 1968. What is terribly sad is that not much has changed in 50+ years.
Excellent. Also Africa has water for agriculture. But energy and rule of law are essential as you say.
Could & Should. Time will tell…
Isn’t saying “Africa could be the richest country on Earth” (except for deeply entrenched corruption) like saying the Soviet Union could have been a grand success (except for Communism)? It just seems that decades and decades of systemic corruption is as intractable in Africa as Communism was in Russia for decades — and the USSR needed a total economic collapse for Communism to finally fail there. I just don’t see what catalyst could change the embedded culture of corruption in most of African.
Ordered also som skincare! Thank you for the informative article and I totally agree that trade is better that aid (with all the conditions that are often attached to it and that never reach the people it is intended for) or micro credit loans. I wish you a Merry X-mas and Happy New Year.
“Trade, not aid.” —> BARS!!
https://open.substack.com/pub/endtropy/p/demographics-is-destiny-africa?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6xx7nz
In about 10 years Africa is going to dictate labor prices. It's the only region still growing in population. And every other region on the planet is literally dying.
Interesting. I've heard the permits and bureaucracy stories many a time. How can Africans convince their governments to make this transition from high bureaucracy, corruption-blighted socialist governments to enterprise friendly ones?
Asia's median age is probably a bit lower than on the image because China makes up about a third of Asia's population and its average age is over 40. I think a lot of smaller Asian countries are in a similar position to African ones.
What's the point of bringing up the energy thing? You give Africans economic freedom and the energy problem will sort itself out with whatever is economical in different regions. Making energy a separate thing implies that government needs to provide that as a "public" service.
In a normal world, you liberalize the economy, investors show up, and the cheapest energy in each place wins. But energy is not a normal market right now, because a lot of the money that finances big power projects is political money and it is being steered away from fossil fuels from the outside (due to climate alarmism).
That’s why I bring up energy separately. Not because “government must provide it,” but because Africans also need the freedom to choose the energy mix that works for us, without foreign climate politics blocking investment.
Yes! Without foreign climate politics stopping investment.
If Western governments want to impose carbon tariffs, that's their business. The West doesn't owe Africans anything.
But again if the solution is just economic freedom, I don't see the point of separating energy out.
It has nothing to do with carbon tariffs:
"Unable to access international loans and funding for fossil fuel development, sub-Saharan African nations struggle to create enough power for their citizens. Meanwhile, everyday Africans are forced to burn biomass for their home energy needs – a toxic process that exposes users to potentially deadly smoke."
You can read more here: https://cnaps.org/disempowering-africa-how-the-wests-energy-policies-fuel-poverty-in-the-continent/
Speaking as a Westerner, I am pissed at what we have to pay for energy in order to support boondoggle energy projects forced on us by scientifically illiterate ideologues.
And now that those same people want to squander water and electrical resources on boondoggle data centers, all of a sudden they don't see a problem with wasting water and generating electricity by whatever means possible.
The people who have appointed themselves to 'saving the planet' are killing us.