Over the course of the week, the organisers of Africa Energy Week 2023 gave a key platform to alleged fraudsters, sanctioned Russian energy companies, oil giants and people who deny climate science.

In the weeks leading up to COP28 in Dubai, the world's largest climate change conference, Cape Town hosted a very different kind of event - Africa Energy Week (AEW) 2023.

Billed as the "biggest energy event in Africa", AEW was a four-day gathering of oil and gas executives, policy-makers, government officials and investors from around the world.

The conference's theme, "The African Energy Renaissance: Prioritising Energy Poverty, People, the Planet, Industrialisation and Free Markets", was a thinly veiled attempt to greenwash what was in practice a fossil fuel jamboree.

Organised by the Africa Energy Chamber, the conference and its speakers ferociously pushed back against global calls for an immediate transition from fossil fuels, with support received from some African government representatives and even presidents.

Namibian President Hage Geingob showcased Namibia as a champion in renewable and non-renewable energy, emphasising that Africa should be permitted to explore and exploit its natural endowments for the prosperity of the continent.

"Namibia is currently a hotbed for hydrocarbon prospecting, with a share of 13% of all offshore rigs operating in Africa... For the African energy renaissance to be meaningful, Africa should be permitted to explore and exploit its natural endowments for the good of...