In the remote Rudewa district of southern Tanzania, villagers live in poverty in harsh conditions. Roads are barely passable, clean water is hard to come by, and families live in modest houses made of mud bricks. Preventable diseases such as malaria, cholera and red intestine plague the region, and health infrastructure is almost non-existent. For most of Ludewa’s residents, electricity is a distant dream. But beneath this harsh land lies enough coal to power all of Tanzania for more than a century and lift the country out of poverty forever.
While China prepares to develop Muchuchuma, Western countries have withdrawn from the field wary of the environmental impact.
Muchuchuma coal reserves in the region are estimated at 428 million tons. In conjunction with the neighboring Liganga iron ore mine, it has the potential to fuel Tanzania’s energy grid, reduce dependence on expensive imports and boost the country’s industrialization. The coal has the potential to power a 600MW thermal power plant as part of a larger project to generate electricity for industries as well as households across Tanzania. However, despite great potential, the project remains stalled. A Chinese company signed a $3 billion contract to develop the coal reserves as Western companies were unable to secure financing for the project. Over the past few years, the project has faced bureaucratic delays and regulatory logjams, leaving Ludewa residents struggling to access the benefits of coal.
While China is gearing up to develop Muchuchuma, Western countries are withdrawing from the field wary of the environmental impact. Even as the continent’s energy needs become more urgent, Western investors are pulling out of fossil fuel projects across the continent due to fears of political backlash.
There is a cruel irony here. While China intervenes in Africa’s resource development efforts, Western environmentalists complain from afar. Western countries are delighted to mine Africa for vital minerals such as cobalt, nickel and lithium. These minerals are key components in the electric cars and solar panels that power Europe’s green future. But when it comes to using its own coal to lift Africa out of poverty, it goes too far.
The hard truth is that fossil fuels have powered every major industrial revolution, and it would be arrogant for Western countries to expect Africa to skip this stage of development. China did not miss the fossil fuel stage. After 40 years of unprecedented growth, look where we are today. The country grew on coal, oil and gas and built a thriving industrial base, but now Western countries expect Africa to industrialize without the same tools.
But here we are. While the Green Agenda aims to save the planet, it is pushing Africa into a corner. Western divestment from fossil fuels has stalled projects like Muchutuma and left Africa at the mercy of Chinese capital.
Western environmental policies have created a global financial system that shuns coal, no matter how much countries like Tanzania need it. This limits Tanzania’s options and forces it to rely on China, which does not hesitate to invest where the West retreats.
It’s not just that large-scale projects like Muchucuma are being held back. African farmers are also bearing the brunt of Western environmental policies, making it difficult for them to access reliable energy and maintain their livelihoods. In neighboring Kenya, activist Jasper Machog, a fierce critic of global warming and half-baked environmental policies, has spent years warning that Western climate policies are devastating Africa’s agriculture. Ta. Farmers in rural Kenya rely on diesel-powered pumps to irrigate their crops, but Machog said they are being forced to switch to solar panels because they cannot reliably power their farms. It is being Machog’s message is simple. Africa cannot operate with energy solutions designed for already industrialized countries. What Africa needs is affordable diesel, not unrealistic green policies.
Without reliable access to fossil fuels, African farmers are held back by Western environmentalists who are more concerned about carbon emissions than the development Africa needs. Mr. Machog’s argument is that while policies coming out of Brussels, London and Washington may win applause in the halls, African farmers will be stuck in a cycle of low productivity and poverty.
Returning to Ludewa, the effects of these delays are all too obvious. People living in the area continue to suffer from high rates of disease, malnutrition, and lack of infrastructure. Once completed, the Mtuchuma coal project will be a catalyst for change in the country. Thousands of jobs will be created in both mining and steel production. Roads, schools, and hospitals would be built using taxes and project profits. Electricity will now be available in homes that previously did not have electricity, and Rudewa could become the industrial center of Tanzania.
But without coal, green energy projects around the world won’t be able to lift East Africa out of poverty. Solar panels and wind farms may provide electricity to villages, but they won’t drive the industrialization Tanzania needs. Africa needs baseload electricity to keep factories running and infrastructure growing. Fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas provide reliable energy.
Development in Tanzania and much of Africa is hampered by global trends that emphasize green credentials over human development. Western countries, which have used fossil fuels to develop their economies, are now trying to sustain growth with expensive renewable energy, an approach Africa will never be able to emulate even if it wants to industrialize. However, Western countries are pressuring Africa to rely solely on renewable energy, ignoring the reality that renewable energy cannot provide the reliable and affordable energy the continent needs.
The Muchutuma project is a symbol of Africa’s potential, a project that could industrialize Tanzania and provide electricity to millions of people. But it is also a reminder of how Western environmentalism is holding back Africa.
The West needs a reality check. Western climate policies are holding back Africa’s growth, but they cannot permanently thwart Africa’s ambitions. Countries such as China are intervening. The Muchucuma plan shows that development will occur with or without Western involvement. If Western countries want to maintain influence over Africa’s future, they need to support real growth or accept that other countries will take the lead.
