'De-Risking Mechanisms' Should Be In Place to Avoid 'Resource Colonialism' - Expert Says

14:24, 21 April 2026

Chimauchem Nwosu

European governments and major energy firms are racing to lock in long-term supply deals for green hydrogen across Africa, drawn by the continent's vast solar and wind potential. Yet a growing chorus of African experts warns that the green energy rush is being structured, once again, to serve European industry at Africa's expense.

Sputnik

Green hydrogen now sits at the heart of Europe's decarbonization agenda, but producing it at scale requires vast amounts of freshwater and renewable power—resources that remain scarce for millions across many of those same host countries. In Namibia, South Africa and Morocco, governments are signing deals with European energy majors even as energy poverty remains widespread. Supporters promise jobs, investment and technology transfer; critics warn that without binding local-content rules and community benefit agreements, the model risks replicating entrenched extractive patterns. The central question is whether Africa's hydrogen boom will build domestic industry—or simply export the continent's sun, wind and water under a green banner.

African Currents spoke with Dr. Jauad El Kharraz, a Moroccan Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the Water Energy Climate Experts Network (WECEN), to discuss the rapid rise of green hydrogen in the global energy transition and how it risks reproducing familiar patterns of colonial resource extraction.

"In the past, Desertec was like a land grab for the sun. So, today we see something similar [..] it's simply another resource colonialism 2.0. The objective should be green industrialization [...]. Big Oil has the capital and the pipelines; however, their involvement is a double-edged sword, which means that there is a risk of bluewashing. I mean, they use green hydrogen as a cover to extend the life of fossil fuel infrastructure. So, we must really ensure that green hydrogen is not used as a sort of Trojan horse for continued gas dependency. So, many have this kind of blue washing or green washing tactics in a way that they pretend to invest in green hydrogen, while in reality, they plan to extend their use of the fossil fuel infrastructure and continue, you know, using oil and gas and coal, et cetera," El Kharraz said.

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

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