Political Economy of Clean Energy Integration in West Africa

The appalling state of energy generation and distribution in virtually all African states has continued to plague the continent’s economic growth. Most African countries have not utilized effectively the abundance energy source that provides room for relative clean energy, except South Africa. South Africa in fact for decades has focused fairly and narrowly on its uranium residue. The emerging scenario is that the global clamor for clean energy is once again leaving Africa behind. A regionally coordinated transition from carbon-based energy to clean energy has been canvassed as a remedy. With the use of a textual analysis, this paper examines the prospect of transition to clean energy integration in West Africa, using the functionalist and related models. It argues, among other points, that the existing constellation of forces portends a bleak future for clean energy industry in the subregion.