Africa is poised for a shift to green energy, as it has the abundant resources to make the transition, Mayen Wol Jong, Undersecretary in South Sudan's Ministry of Petroleum, told Sputnik Africa.
"We expect positive changes in Africa. Africa has a lot of green energy resources. The sun, hydro electric and all those kinds of things. So we expect positive things towards green energy," Wol Jong noted.
At the same time, the official predicted that the transition to green energy would not happen overnight, but gradually.
"People will continue to work with the hydrocarbons until the time comes [...] It is something that people continue to do as a transitional activity, when you are working on it little by little, it will take time," Wol Jong stressed.
Regarding Africa-Russia cooperation in the energy sector, Wol Jang noted that Moscow needs to "come forth in order to cope and work, for us specifically in South Sudan."
The official also commented on Africa's cooperation with Europe, noting that Africans should take more responsibility. Wol Jang remarked that "nobody will come and do everything 100% for you" and that the continent will continue to rely on others if it "doesn't pick up for itself and take charge of everything."
"And we need to avoid that in the future," the undersecretary concluded.
In late September, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the meeting, Putin said that there is much to be done in the economic cooperation between the countries.
Following the visit, South Sudanese Foreign Minister James Pitia Morgan told Sputnik Africa that South Sudan has invited Russian enterprises to explore the country in many areas, including oil production.
Moreover, the top diplomat noted that there are businesses that plan to explore the possibility of building hydroelectric power plants in South Sudan.