The conversation around Africa’s hydrocarbon development has taken a sharper turn following renewed volatility in global oil markets triggered by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Executive Chairman of the Energy Chamber of Ghana and Director at Wingfield Group, Joshua Batsa Narh, has warned that Africa risks undermining its own development if it continues to sideline its hydrocarbon resources. According to him, recent events have exposed the fragility of global energy systems and reinforced the strategic importance of oil and gas.
“There are moments when geopolitics exposes uncomfortable truths. The recent escalation in the Gulf did exactly that.”
Joshua Batsa Narh, Executive Chairman of the Energy Chamber of Ghana and Director at Wingfield Group
Mr Narh pointed to the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20 percent of the world’s traded crude oil passes. He explained that disruptions in the region quickly ripple across global markets, affecting everything from transport and electricity to food systems.
Such disruptions, he argued, demonstrate how tightly interconnected global energy supply chains remain and how vulnerable they are to geopolitical shocks.
Call for Pragmatic Energy Strategy in Africa
Against this backdrop, Mr Narh cautioned against calls for Africa to leave its hydrocarbon resources untapped in the name of climate action.
“If one disruption can move oil toward $100 per barrel, then asking Africa to leave hydrocarbons underground is no longer climate leadership. It is strategic negligence.” Narh stated.
Against this backdrop, Mr Narh cautioned against calls for Africa to leave its hydrocarbon resources untapped in the name of climate action.
“If one disruption can move oil toward $100 per barrel, then asking Africa to leave hydrocarbons underground is no longer climate leadership. It is strategic negligence.”
Joshua Batsa Narh, Executive Chairman of the Energy Chamber of Ghana and Director at Wingfield Group
He emphasised that Africa’s energy realities differ significantly from those of developed regions, making a one-size-fits-all approach to energy transition impractical.
With Africa accounting for about 18 percent of the global population but only around 6 percent of energy consumption and less than 3 percent of emissions, he argued that the continent’s development needs must take priority.
Mr Narh highlighted the scale of energy poverty across the continent, noting that hundreds of millions of Africans still lack access to reliable electricity and clean cooking solutions.
Around 600 million people remain without electricity, while approximately 900 million depend on biomass for cooking, a situation with serious health and environmental consequences. He also pointed to Africa’s limited refining capacity, which accounts for less than 4 percent of global capacity, as a major constraint on energy security. No serious development pathway closes this gap without hydrocarbons,” he said, stressing the role of oil and gas in powering industrialisation and economic growth.
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Joshua Narh: Ignoring Africa’s Oil Wealth Is Strategic Negligence
Prince Agyapongby Prince Agyapong March 26, 2026Reading Time: 5 mins read
Joshua Batsa Narh
Joshua Batsa Narh
The conversation around Africa’s hydrocarbon development has taken a sharper turn following renewed volatility in global oil markets triggered by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Executive Chairman of the Energy Chamber of Ghana and Director at Wingfield Group, Joshua Batsa Narh, has warned that Africa risks undermining its own development if it continues to sideline its hydrocarbon resources.…