Background note on Africa’s Current Path Energy Future to 2043

The report identifies Africa as a net energy exporter, though it forecasts that total energy demand will exceed production by 2039. While a small group of countries like Algeria, Nigeria, and Angola maintain high export values, a significant number of African nations remain heavily dependent on energy imports, a group expected to expand by 2043.

• Africa is currently a net energy exporter, primarily exporting coal, unrefined oil, and gas to Asian and European markets, although total continental energy demand is projected to exceed production in 2039.
• In 2023, Algeria, Angola, Libya, and Nigeria each had energy export values exceeding imports by more than ten billion US dollars, while Morocco's energy imports exceeded five billion US dollars.
• By 2043, Algeria is projected to be the largest energy exporter in Africa with a value of US$70.2 billion, surpassing the combined exports of Nigeria (US$32 billion), Angola (US$24.2 billion), and Mozambique (US$14.5 billion).
• A significant number of countries relied on energy imports for over 50% of their domestic demand in 2023, including Senegal (95%), Morocco, Benin, Mauritania, Mauritius, Eritrea, Tunisia, Uganda, Mali, and Togo (59%). This group is expected to grow by 2043 to include countries such as Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, and Egypt.

APA

Cilliers, J. (2023). Background note on Africa’s Current Path Energy Future to 2043. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=other/Energy&topic=02-exports-vs-imports

Chicago

Cilliers, Jakkie. Background note on Africa’s Current Path Energy Future to 2043. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=other/Energy&topic=02-exports-vs-imports.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cilliers |first1=Jakkie |title=Background note on Africa’s Current Path Energy Future to 2043 |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=9 November 2023 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=other/Energy&topic=02-exports-vs-imports |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cilliers2023background, author = {Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Background note on Africa’s Current Path Energy Future to 2043}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=other/Energy&topic=02-exports-vs-imports}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }