Middle East Crisis: Africa’s Opportunity to Show Potential in Global Energy System

17:47, 13 March 2026

Chimauchem Nwosu

The escalating conflict in the Persian Gulf exposes the fragility of the world's dependence on a single region for energy security, drawing renewed attention to Africa's vast but underutilized oil and gas reserves as countries scramble to find supply sources and shield their economies from geopolitical shocks.

Sputnik

For decades, the global energy map has tilted heavily toward the Middle East, anchoring supply chains and shaping geopolitical alliances. Now, the deepening crisis in the region is opening a window of opportunity for Africa.

African Currents spoke with Fadhel Kaboub, Associate Professor of Economics at Denison University, Ohio, USA, and President of the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity, about how the Iran crisis and rising oil prices expose structural vulnerabilities in African economies and opportunities they present for the continent's energy sovereignty and economic resilience.

"So the ripple effect is already going to happen even if the conflict ends today [...]. Well, the opportunity is yet another wake-up call to realize that we need to decouple the economic system that we have on the African continent from the impact of these crises that constantly happen. Because when you look at our energy potential as a continent, according to IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency, their last technical study on the African continent basically says the following: Africa, within 15 years, can produce 1000 times its anticipated energy needs from renewables, renewables alone, and can completely replace all the fossil fuel exports from the continent, 1000 times. Now this is an amazing opportunity to completely become energy independent. Not only energy independent but to become a global powerhouse in the energy system," Professor Kaboub noted.

Catch the full discussion on the African Currents podcast, presented by Sputnik Africa.

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