President Trump supports fossil fuels
Approximately 600 million people across Africa do not have access to electricity.
The continent is also bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, with warming trends faster than the global average. Due to these factors, there is an urgent need to transition to renewable energy.
According to figures from the United Nations Development Program, African countries need US$2.8 trillion by 2030 to reduce climate risks.
The United States plays a key role in supporting the continent to this end. Under the current Biden administration, a US$100 million direct loan has been issued to support off-grid clean energy infrastructure, as part of a larger climate change aid package for the continent.
But concerns have been raised that these programs could be canceled if former president and current Republican candidate Donald Trump wins a second term as president.
Until his arrival on the scene in 2016, Africans didn’t have to worry about the outcome of U.S. presidential elections.
Previously, America generally had bipartisan consensus on Africa policy, regardless of who was in the White House. This typically includes development aid, support for good governance and the green transition, and preferential trade agreements.
President Trump has long been a skeptic about global warming, and during his time in office he cut off all funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development for climate change programs in Africa.
During this year’s campaign, he was vocal about his support for fossil fuels and vowed to repeal many of Biden’s green energy policies.
“Africa’s energy issues and policies that try to address energy challenges are much more important than Donald Trump’s presidential policies compared to Kamala (Harris), who is a Democrat and naturally believes in addressing climate change across Africa. It will either be scaled back or it won’t get as much attention as it does in the world, including Africa,” said Etse Sikanku, a senior lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Journalism and director of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Development. Ta.
