Nigeria-South Africa row: AEC advises against politicising energy ties
The African Energy Chamber, AEC, has admonished Nigeria and South Africa against allowing their current diplomatic tensions to undermine energy investment, trade and broader economic cooperation across Africa.
The Chamber, while condemning violence and the mistreatment of African migrants, said the dispute should be addressed through dialogue without sacrificing the commercial relationships that connect Africa’s two largest economies.
It said: “This moment must not be allowed to shut the door on dialogue, investment and practical cooperation across the continent.”
The AEC stressed that energy has a strategic role in bringing African countries together through investment, job creation, industrialisation and regional integration.
“Energy is one of the few sectors capable of bringing Africans together around shared growth, jobs, industrial development and regional integration,” the Chamber said.
It warned that the sector “must not be treated as collateral damage in a broader political dispute,” noting that the commercial ties between Nigeria and South Africa and the wider network of African energy relationships are too important to be weakened by the current crisis.
AEC Executive Chairman, NJ Ayuk, urged African leaders and businesses to resist emotional reactions, saying the continent must maintain its long-term objectives despite the diplomatic difficulties.
“Sometimes leadership requires us not to run from discomfort, but to walk through it with our heads held high and our purpose intact,” Ayuk said.
“There is value in staying the course, even when the road is rough. We must move through this pain honestly, soberly, and together, then regroup with clearer minds and steadier hands,” he added.
Ayuk cautioned against “rushed choices, emotional overcorrections, and decisions we may regret long after tempers have cooled.”
The Chamber’s intervention comes as African countries seek to deepen intra-African investment and build greater energy independence through continent-led institutions and partnerships.
It noted that African Energy Week, AEW, is organised by the AEC in partnership with Afreximbank and the African Petroleum Producers Organization, APPO, describing the institutions as key drivers of African energy sovereignty and African-led solutions.
The Chamber said AEW represents more than a conference, describing it as part of a broader push for “African ownership, African industry and African progress.”
“Energy is business. Energy is development. Energy is sovereignty,” the Chamber declared.
It added: “It should never be allowed to become the casualty of political division.”
