GENDER, DEBT AND FOSSIL FUELS: A MAPPING OF KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT

The report examines how Africa is trapped in a cycle of debt and fossil fuel dependency, which disproportionately harms women and girls. It argues that the global financial architecture forces African nations into austerity and resource extraction, leading to 'petro-masculinity' and systemic gender-based violence. The authors advocate for a 'feminist decolonial green economy' and a Fossil Fuel Treaty to enable a just transition through debt cancellation and redistributive finance.

• Africa's external debt has more than doubled since 2020, exceeding 1 trillion USD, with interest payments alone estimated at 163 billion USD over the last 15 years. In over half of African nations, debt repayments now exceed spending on essential public services such as healthcare and education.
• There is a significant gap in climate finance for Africa; in 2023, 32 African nations spent twice as much on debt service payments as they received in climate finance. Sub-Saharan Africa requires approximately 143 billion USD annually for adaptation and resilience, but received an average of only 35 billion USD per year between 2021 and 2023.
• Fossil fuel extraction is linked to 'petro-masculinity,' where authoritarian masculine identities and militarism are used to protect corporate interests, leading to increased gender-based violence and the social and political exclusion of women and gender minorities.
• Women in Africa face systemic economic exclusion, owning less than 30% of land in sub-Saharan Africa due to patriarchal legal and customary systems. This lack of tenure prevents access to credit and forces many into the informal economy, where 89% of women in sub-Saharan Africa are employed.
• Austerity measures imposed by the IMF and World Bank shift the burden of social reproduction onto women. In Mali, women perform 80% of unpaid care and domestic work, which would contribute 17.6% of the country's GDP if monetised.
• Fossil fuel projects cause widespread gendered displacement. For example, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) has displaced over 100,000 people, with compensation schemes typically favoring male landowners and excluding women.
• The 'resource curse' is compounded by a 'presource curse' in Africa, where the discovery of resources is linked to high debt and corruption. A study of 12 sub-Saharan countries (2001-2020) found that production timelines were 83% longer than expected and revenues 63% lower than forecasts.
• The Global North's energy transition risks creating 'green colonialism,' where African countries are treated as supply zones for minerals and energy. For instance, TotalEnergies is developing a project in Morocco to produce green ammonia specifically for export to Europe.
• African feminists propose a 'Feminist Decolonial Green Economy' based on six levers: just transitions, debt justice, trade justice, wealth/resource redistribution, democratizing financial architecture, and ending corporate power over public services.

APA

Agata, B., & Sawas, A. (2026). GENDER, DEBT AND FOSSIL FUELS: A MAPPING OF KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT. Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/s/Debt-Gender-Paper.pdf

Chicago

Agata, Bemnet, and Amiera Sawas. GENDER, DEBT AND FOSSIL FUELS: A MAPPING OF KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT. Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, 2026. https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/s/Debt-Gender-Paper.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Agata |first1=Bemnet |last2=Sawas |first2=Amiera |title=GENDER, DEBT AND FOSSIL FUELS: A MAPPING OF KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT |publisher=Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative |date=March 2026 |url=https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/s/Debt-Gender-Paper.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{agata2026gender, author = {Agata, Bemnet and Sawas, Amiera}, title = {{GENDER, DEBT AND FOSSIL FUELS: A MAPPING OF KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT}}, institution = {Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/s/Debt-Gender-Paper.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }