Vice-President urges African countries to build efficient gas trade network

The Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has urged African countries to work together to build an efficient interconnected gas trade network that puts the continent’s energy in the hands of Africans. 

She said in spite of the fact that Africa was rich in natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rivers and minerals, many of its citizens still lived without electricity because of the high cost of energy, while power systems remained fragmented.

The problem, Prof.  Opoku-Agyemang said, was, therefore, not the lack of resources but the lack of unity and cooperation among African countries.

“It is time to change that. We must work together. Intra-African energy trade is not just about power grids or gas pipelines; it is about powering opportunity.

“Every watt traded across borders can light a classroom, power a clinic, run a factory or fuel the dreams of a young entrepreneur,” she added.

This was contained in a speech read on behalf of the Vice-President by her Policy Advisor on Political Affairs, Dr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, at Africa Energy Technology Conference 2025, in Accra yesterday. 

Conference

The two-day conference is being organised by the Africa Energy Technology Centre on the theme: “Intra-Africa energy trade dialogue.”

In attendance are leaders and experts in the sector who are discussing how Africa can trade and use its own energy resources more effectively.

Present were the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources of Nigeria, Ekperikpe Ekpo; the Chief of Staff at the Office of the Vice-President, Alex Segbefia; a Policy Advisor, Finance, Ms Mansa Amoa Awuah; members of the diplomatic corps, development partners and representatives from civil society organisations.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also urged African leaders to think of intra-African energy trade as more than markets and megawatts but as an integration, sovereignty and shared prosperity.

She said the country supported regional energy cooperation through mechanisms such as the West African Power Pool (WAPP) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Commitment

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang reaffirmed the country’s commitment to accelerating the transition to clean cooking in alignment with the Paris Agreement and national climate obligations.

She highlighted government initiatives such as National LPG Promotion Policy and the Cylinder Recirculation Model to create a cleaner, healthier cooking environment for citizens, especially women and children.

The Vice-President mentioned initiatives, such as the Programme for Results (PforR), supported by the World Bank and KfW, and a partnership with South Korea’s Climate Change Centre to distribute 500,000 clean cookstoves and improve health, especially for the vulnerable, as encouraging.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang further said that recent data from the Ghana Geological Survey Authority confirmed that the country had deposits of minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and other rare earth elements.

“We are committed to developing these resources in a responsible way,” she said, adding that it was for this reason the government was promoting integrated value chains through specialised state institutions such as the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) and the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC). 

Cooperation

Mr Ekpo also said that Nigeria was determined to drive intra-African gas cooperation, adding that “under the leadership of our President, gas has been declared the transition fuel for Nigeria, and we are implementing several initiatives to deepen domestic utilisation and expand regional trade”.

He said Nigeria was pursuing robust domestic infrastructure projects such as the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline and the OB3 pipeline aimed to unlock stranded gas, reduce flaring and connect northern and central Nigeria to the national grid.

Mr Ekpo, however, added that “to unleash Africa’s true potential, we must trade gas among ourselves, build markets within our regions and connect infrastructure across borders”.