Nature’s bounty: Africa possesses extraordinary renewable energy
potential, with its abundant sunshine, wind, geothermal and
hydroelectric resources. Photo: Paul Botes
As American military forces move against Venezuela, the world is witnessing yet another chapter in the age-old story of oil and empire.
While Nicolás Maduro’s regime has plenty of critics, we must not be blind to what is truly unfolding: the United States is wielding Venezuela’s vast petroleum reserves as an instrument of geopolitical control, precisely when humanity most urgently needs to move beyond fossil fuels.
For those of us in Africa watching this crisis, the lessons are unmistakable and deeply concerning.
Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves and the timing of this intervention reveals the uncomfortable truth that fossil fuels are no longer treated merely as commodities to be traded but as weapons of statecraft to be controlled.
As nations worldwide attempt to break free from fossil fuel dependence in the wake of the climate emergency, powerful actors are grabbing the very resources we need to leave behind.
But make no mistake; this is not merely a South American problem or a matter of distant geopolitics as it exposes a fundamental instability built into our global energy system.
From the Niger Delta to Libya to Sudan and Mozambique, African nations have experienced first-hand how fossil fuel reserves transform regions into conflict zones.
Oil and gas deposits, concentrated in politically fragile areas, are perpetual flashpoints for violence, corruption and foreign interference. Russia’s assault on Ukraine was fueled partly by energy politics and now Venezuela faces military intervention, with its oil reserves undeniably central to the calculus.
This pattern is not coincidental. As long as fossil fuels remain the backbone of global economic power, military might will continue to shadow energy security.
Instability becomes a feature of the system, not a bug. The volatility we see playing out in Caracas today could easily erupt tomorrow in any nation sitting atop hydrocarbon wealth, including many across our continent.
For Africa, this crisis should crystallise a strategic imperative: renewable energy independence is not just an environmental necessity but a shield against the chaos of fossil fuel geopolitics.
Consider Europe’s predicament. Despite its climate ambitions, the European Union still imports approximately 95 percent of its crude oil and 86 percent of its natural gas.
This staggering dependence has left European nations vulnerable to the geopolitical machinations of both Moscow and Washington.
When Russia weaponised gas supplies, European households suffered. When American policies reshape oil markets, Europe feels the tremors.
Africa must learn from this vulnerability. Our continent possesses extraordinary renewable energy potential, with its abundant sunshine, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric resources.
Yet too many African nations remain trapped in the mindset that fossil fuel extraction represents the path to prosperity, even as the Venezuela crisis demonstrates how such resources can become more curse than blessing.
Investing in solar farms, wind installations and geothermal projects is our road to true sovereignty because energy systems built on renewables cannot be sanctioned, embargoed or seized by foreign powers.
A solar panel in Senegal or a wind turbine in Kenya cannot be weaponised by a distant superpower. Clean energy offers African nations what fossil fuels never can: autonomy.
The urgency of this transition became more evident at the recent COP30 summit in Brazil, when numerous countries committed to developing national plans for phasing down fossil fuel consumption.
The unfolding crisis in Venezuela and the potential for similar interventions in Iran or elsewhere demonstrate why such commitments must be accelerated and deepened.
For Africa specifically, the renewable transition represents a unique opportunity to leapfrog the unstable, extractive energy model that has brought wealth to so few while leaving environmental devastation and political turmoil in its wake.
We need not repeat the mistakes of industrialised nations that built their economies on fossil dependency only to find themselves ensnared in endless resource conflicts.
The path forward requires courage and vision. African governments must resist the siren song of new oil and gas projects, however lucrative they may appear in the short term.
International financial institutions must redirect capital from fossil infrastructure toward renewable systems. And global climate negotiations must recognise that energy transition is inseparable from questions of peace, stability, and self-determination.
As military tensions escalate over Venezuelan oil, Africa has the chance to chart a different course; one where our abundant sunshine and wind power become sources of genuine independence rather than new dependencies.
The question is whether we will seize this moment or remain shackled to an energy system that fuels conflict.
The choice, ultimately, is between sovereignty and subjugation.
Mohamed Adow is the founder and director, Power Shift Africa