African countries must tap all energy resources, including fossil fuels, Kenyan President says
(Bloomberg) – Kenyan President William Ruto said African countries need to be able to tap all their energy resources even if that means developing non-renewable fossil fuels.
“I firmly believe that no African country can be asked to halt the exploration of its natural resources, including fossil fuels,” he said in emailed remarks for delivery to the Italy-Africa summit in Rome Monday.
Noting that the continent has abundant, untapped natural gas reserves, the leader of East Africa’s biggest economy said that developing natural gas resources “does not mean that it makes economic sense to build a dependency on fossil fuels,” even as nations in Europe seek to diversify their gas sourcing.
Calling renewable energy “an economically rational choice,” Ruto said Africa has “global solutions to offer while providing energy” to all of its citizens, noting that the continent is home to 60% of the world’s best solar resources, and plentiful wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric potential.
