During this episode I spoke with Riverson Oppong, Commercial Manager in charge of Economic Modelling, Risk Management, and Policy Planning (ERP) at the Ghana National Gas Company, Adjunct Lecturer at Ghana Communication Technology University, Visiting Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast and GIMPA, as well as Chairperson of the Ghana Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).

Riverson holds a Ph.D. in Economics, with particular focus on International Oil and Gas Management. In addition, he serves as an advisor to African governments in building more resilient energy strategies, currently playing dynamic roles in Ghana's Energy Sector Recovery Program and Energy Transition Technical Committee.

Riverson and I discussed the 3 key factors to cure energy poverty in Africa, why the AfCFTA and AU are not living up to their potential, how to ensure FDI serves local interests and why additional value chains can help Africans free themselves from the Dutch-disease curse.

Timecodes:

4:35 Fighting energy poverty in Africa and beyond by ensuring availability, affordability and accessibility 

18:25 Why AfCFTA and AU progress is stalling 

28:50 The importance of creating raw material value chains for Africa's economy

35:48 The cure to energy poverty: experimenting with new technologies, expanding the grid and using multiple energy sources

44:24 How to ensure foreign investors are creating value for Africans

49:29 The natural instinct of any human being is to go home: the causes behind Africa's massive brain drain

53:39 Riverson's vision for the future of Africa