Problems of energy and energy development in Africa will be the key issues at the Russia-Africa summit, which is scheduled for next summer, Oleg Ozerov, Head of the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum and Ambassador-at-Large for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday at the Russian Energy Week.
"It is quite obvious that at the next summit to be held next summer in St. Petersburg, the problems of energy and energy development in Africa will take one of the central places, so that the development of the energy sector is the main condition for the industrialization at the level of the African continent," Ozerov said.
According to him, African states have set themselves the task of moving their economies to an industrial level. "But without solving the problem of energy, without providing access to energy for both citizens and businesses, it will not be possible to solve the problem of industrialization," the diplomat said.
He also touched on the topic of the energy transition in Africa. According to Ozerov, it is too early to talk about it. "Europe offers Africa a "green" transition when there is nothing to transition from. It is necessary to create the basis of energy, and then move on to something new. And we need to use the resources that African states have, which include oil, coal and gas," he said.
The Russian Energy Week International Forum is one of the key venues for discussing the current trends in the modern fuel and energy complex. The forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation and the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation with the support of the Moscow Government. TASS is a media partner of the event.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Olga Shuklina/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS