Priorities of the EU’s Energy Policy in sub-Saharan Africa

The energy supplies is a traditional problem for the EU due to the lack of its own resources. This issue has become most relevant after the deterioration of relations with Russia, formerly a leading energy partner. The Union began to explore options for diversification because it is not ready to implement a green transition at once. The purpose of this article is to assess the priorities of the EU’s energy policy in this region using comparative and systematic analysis, as well as the concepts of resilience and strategic autonomy. Among the EU energy priorities for sub-Saharan Africa are the development of renewable energy sources and renewable hydrogen, increasing energy efficiency, and achieving climate neutrality. European institutions finance only green projects, although supplies of oil, gas, and coal for their own European consumption. At the transition stage, the most environmentally friendly LNG is a priority. This explains why national banks and companies, unlike supranational institutions, invest in projects in the field of fossil fuels. Sub-Saharan Africa has not become the new leader among the EU’s suppliers, and its contribution to reducing dependence on major players is minimal. Maximum diversification, the intensification of which can be observed in recent years, would contribute to the formation of stress tolerance and strategic autonomy. It is planned to reduce cooperation only to green projects, which so far looks unlikely. It is concluded that the its implementation is hindered by the internal African problems, along with foreign competition for the region, and the unwillingness of countries to finance the imposed energy transition on their own.