London, UK – Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion, Fossil Free London, War On Want, Christian Climate Action, Rainforest Foundation UK, and StopEACOP UK took to the streets outside the plush Africa Energies Summit 2025 venue in London branding the event a ‘neocolonial charade’ designed to exploit African resources for Western profit.
“Our future is not for sale!” roared protesters as they blockaded the Africa Energies Summit in London turning the glittering corridors of power into a battleground over Africa’s fossil fuel future.
The protests ignited global conversations about environmental justice, climate colonialism and Africa’s right to decide its own energy path.
Africa Energies Summit, an annual gathering of oil executives, investors and African government officials, bills itself as Africa’s premier oil and gas deal-making platform.
“This isn’t an energy summit; it’s an exploitation summit,” shouted Mary Stevens from Christian Climate Action, standing amid banners reading “Decolonize Climate Finance” and “Stop EACOP, Stop Colonialism.”
At the heart of the protests is the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) a 1,443km pipeline that would snake through Uganda and Tanzania, displacing communities, threatening biodiversity and locking Africa into decades of fossil fuel dependence.
“Projects like EACOP epitomize everything wrong with this summit,” said Liz Atangana of StopEACOP UK.
“Western corporations and financiers fly into London, make billion-dollar deals behind closed doors while African communities are left with oil spills, broken promises and destroyed livelihoods.”
The protesters accuse summit organizers and participants of ignoring the voices of frontline communities most affected by these projects.
Activists didn’t hold back, slamming the summit as climate colonialism, where African leaders are pressured into dirty energy deals under the banner of development.
“It’s the same old story where rich countries are extracting from poor countries, wrapping it in shiny conferences and PR spin,” said Samira Banda of Fossil Free London.
“We reject this narrative. Africa does not need oil pipelines. Africa needs renewable energy sovereignty.”
As chants echoed through London’s financial district, police deployed in numbers to keep the protests under control. Several activists glued themselves to doors, blocked entrances and disrupted summit sessions forcing organizers to tighten security.
With the world racing to limit global warming to 1.5°C, projects like EACOP stand accused of derailing climate goals while enriching fossil fuel companies.
“What’s happening here is theft disguised as investment,” said Rachel Kennerley of War on Want.
“It’s time to call it what it is climate apartheid. Western banks bankroll projects that would never be allowed in their own countries.”
The protesters are demanding an immediate halt to EACOP and similar fossil fuel projects in Africa, an end to UK and European financing of Africa’s oil and gas infrastructure and real just transitions to renewable energy led by Africans for Africans.
The summit organizers pushed back, defending the event as crucial for Africa’s energy security and economic development.
“Africa cannot industrialize without energy,” said Summit Director Ian Halstead.
“These projects are African-led, creating jobs and ensuring the continent’s development agenda is met.”
But that argument fell flat with protesters, who accuse the summit of promoting outdated energy models that trap Africa in debt, pollution and dependency.
These protests show that the climate justice movement is no longer confined to Africa’s streets or courtrooms, it’s going global, loud and unrelenting.
As EACOP, oil giants and their financiers face mounting pressure, the battle over Africa’s energy future is no longer just about pipelines; it’s about power, justice and who gets to decide Africa’s path forward.
Also Read: Political Party Bill Seeks to Choke Opposition Through Funding
