Africa’s Energy Gap Puts Power At Centre Of SDG Delivery, Tinubu Says

By Olumide Johnson

As the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) convenes in New York under the theme of restoring trust and managing transformation, Group Chief Executive of Oando Plc, Mr. Adewale Tinubu, has placed Africa’s energy deficit at the centre of the continent’s development challenge.

Tinubu argues that energy should not be treated as a standalone development issue because electricity access underpins health, education, agriculture, industry and employment.

DEVELOPMENT:

Writing ahead of the UNGA discussions, Tinubu presented an operator’s perspective on Africa’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), arguing that development conversations are too often conducted in separate policy silos.

He highlighted Oando’s energy projects as examples of how gas and electricity infrastructure can generate wider economic benefits.

“At Okpai, our joint venture power plant, gas supports close to a gigawatt of generation capacity for Nigeria’s national grid,” he said.

Tinubu also cited 11.2 MMSCFD of gas supplied from an Oando joint venture in Bayelsa to a 60MW independent power project, and 25 MMSCFD supplied to FIPL’s 150MW Umoku power plant, which supplies the national grid and electricity to the Umoku community at no cost.

DATA:

Tinubu highlighted three continental indicators: 563 million people in sub-Saharan Africa without electricity, about 970 million Africans still cooking with polluting fuels, and Africa receiving roughly 3 percent of global energy investment despite accounting for nearly a fifth of the world’s population.

At project level, Oando’s cited figures include close to 1GW of generation capacity at Okpai, 60MW at the Bayelsa project and 150MW at Umoku.

The numbers illustrate the scale mismatch between Africa’s energy needs and the capital flowing into the sector.

SIGNIFICANCE:

Tinubu’s argument is that energy access is economic infrastructure, not merely a utility-sector concern.

Reliable electricity affects hospital cold chains, factory operating hours, agricultural storage, education and employment. For investors, this makes energy infrastructure a cross-sector economic enabler, with implications for industrial productivity and human capital.

He also questioned the differing approaches to energy transition, noting that major economies are expanding gas generation to meet new demand, including from data centres, while African countries face pressure to transition despite significantly lower levels of energy access.

“Energy demand cannot be considered legitimate everywhere except Africa,” he said.

NEXT MOVE:

The critical issue is whether international financing frameworks can mobilise substantially more capital for African energy infrastructure while supporting responsible emissions management.

Tinubu called for Africa to harness hydrocarbons responsibly while investing in future energy systems, agriculture, industry, skills and institutions.

OUR LENS:

Tinubu’s central argument is that Africa cannot pursue an energy transition independently of its development deficit.

“Africa’s historical contribution to global warming is small, yet it bears a disproportionate share of its consequences,” he said, arguing that this should inform adaptation financing, debt treatment and the policy space available to African countries.

His conclusion is a development-versus-transition reframing: “This is not a choice between development and transition. It is about building a transition capable of delivering development.”

For Africa, the deeper investment question is therefore not simply how quickly energy systems can become cleaner, but whether the transition can simultaneously deliver electricity, industrialisation, jobs and inclusive economic growth.

Olumide Johnson is a journalist, reporting on energy, maritime, business, and developments shaping Nigeria’s economy.