JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – The African Energy Chamber (AEC) has urged the International Energy Agency (IEA) to return to its founding mandate of safeguarding global energy security, warning that the agency’s climate-driven policies have undermined Africa’s development ambitions.

The call comes as the United States intensifies pressure on the Paris-based institution, with U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright signaling Washington could withdraw unless the IEA prioritizes practical energy access solutions, particularly clean cooking.

African leaders and private-sector stakeholders argue that the IEA has politicized its energy outlooks, weaponizing its net-zero roadmap to restrict financing for oil and gas projects. The roadmap, updated in 2025, discouraged new fossil fuel investments and promoted aggressive timelines for electric vehicles and renewable adoption.

For Africa, where 592 million people lack electricity and clean cooking access, these assumptions are seen as unrealistic. Global financiers, influenced by IEA guidance, have halted or restricted oil and gas funding, leaving African nations struggling to develop strategic gas resources.

NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC, condemned this approach as “financial apartheid,” noting that banks evaluate African oil projects differently from those in Europe or the U.S.

With 900 million Africans still without clean cooking solutions, the issue has become a strategic imperative. Projects such as Angola LNG, Greater Tortue Ahmeyim in Senegal/Mauritania, and Mozambique LNG are critical not only for Africa’s development but also for Europe’s energy security. Yet, IEA recommendations risk sidelining these initiatives.

Secretary Wright emphasized that $4 billion annually could accelerate clean cooking rollout and lift nearly two billion people out of energy poverty. He criticized the global focus on climate spending, noting that despite trillions invested, renewables account for only 2.6% of global energy.

Despite its history of restrictive policies, the IEA has announced plans to host the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA), partnering with governments and industry to accelerate universal clean cooking access. The U.S. has also launched a Clean Cooking Accelerator Program, focusing primarily on Africa.

Ayuk welcomed these steps but stressed that reform must go deeper: “Reform at the IEA must go beyond press releases. It must include a recalibration of outlooks to reflect differentiated development pathways, a rejection of blanket investment bans and an acknowledgment that African hydrocarbons are compatible with global climate goals.”

The AEC insists Africa does not seek aid but partnerships. Oil and gas, it argues, are not obstacles but enablers of development. For Africa to make energy poverty history, the IEA must stop politicizing fossil fuels and instead champion practical solutions that balance climate goals with the continent’s urgent need for energy access.