Preventing a “Green Curse” in Africa: Mitigating Conflict Risks in Renewable Energy and Mining Projects and Sectors

The document examines how the green energy transition in Africa could trigger conflict due to land displacement, environmental damage, and inequitable benefit distribution. It identifies five key categories of legal protections—land and resource rights, environmental and social protections, compensation and benefit sharing, access to information and participation, and access to justice—that can mitigate these risks. While many Sub-Saharan African countries have enacted basic protections, the brief emphasizes that the quality of implementation, institutional capacity, and political will are essential to prevent a 'green resource curse'.

• Large-scale green energy and mining projects in Africa pose conflict risks due to their intensive land use, potential for environmental and social harm, and the ability to generate high revenues, which can lead to grievances or rent-seeking.
• The risk of a "green resource curse" can be mitigated through strong legal and regulatory frameworks that govern projects and resources, which also serve to attract investment.
• The Environmental Law Institute identified five essential categories of legal protections to prevent conflict: land and resource rights, environmental and social protections, compensation and benefit sharing, access to information and participation, and access to justice.
• While 12 basic protections—such as permit requirements for mining and renewable energy and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs)—are nearly universal across Sub-Saharan Africa, requirements for free prior informed consent (FPIC) and standing to enforce benefit sharing are rare.
• There is significant variation in legal protection levels across the region; Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania are the highest performing countries (each with over 32 of 40 indicators), while Somalia, Comoros, and Mauritius have the fewest (below approximately 15).
• Legal provisions alone are insufficient to prevent conflict; their effectiveness depends on institutional capacity, political will, and the role of non-governmental actors like NGOs and civil society.
• To strengthen protections, the brief recommends formalizing customary land tenure through registration, investing in computerized Access to Information networks, and ensuring public involvement throughout the entire life of the EIA process.

APA

Dupuy, K., Bruch, C., & Stein, T. (2024). Preventing a “Green Curse” in Africa: Mitigating Conflict Risks in Renewable Energy and Mining Projects and Sectors. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/db9b2df8-75af-4194-a859-57a5c117685c/PRIO Policy Brief 03-2024.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Dupuy, Kendra, Carl Bruch, and Tracy Stein. Preventing a “Green Curse” in Africa: Mitigating Conflict Risks in Renewable Energy and Mining Projects and Sectors. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2024. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/db9b2df8-75af-4194-a859-57a5c117685c/PRIO Policy Brief 03-2024.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dupuy |first1=Kendra |last2=Bruch |first2=Carl |last3=Stein |first3=Tracy |title=Preventing a “Green Curse” in Africa: Mitigating Conflict Risks in Renewable Energy and Mining Projects and Sectors |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=March 2024 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/db9b2df8-75af-4194-a859-57a5c117685c/PRIO Policy Brief 03-2024.pdf?inline=true |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dupuy2024preventing, author = {Dupuy, Kendra and Bruch, Carl and Stein, Tracy}, title = {{Preventing a “Green Curse” in Africa: Mitigating Conflict Risks in Renewable Energy and Mining Projects and Sectors}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/db9b2df8-75af-4194-a859-57a5c117685c/PRIO Policy Brief 03-2024.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }