TotalEnergies' sponsorship of AFCON, a celebration of African unity and resilience, was an insult to people across the continent.
The successful conclusion of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d'Ivoire highlighted the indomitable spirit of the continent and the transformative power of football. For a month, fans in Africa and the world were thoroughly entertained. Football was, once again, a universal language that united our people across borders, ideologies, and pursuits.
The climate crisis has, however, recently thrust a curveball into this mix. As extreme weather patterns have made life on the continent more unpredictable, the realm of sports has not been spared. This edition of AFCON, typically held in June-July, was moved to January to safeguard against the uncertainty of the weather.
This fact makes it even more insulting that tournament's main sponsor was TotalEnergies. One of the world's largest oil and gas companies, the French multinational is at the centre of a complex web of shocks across the continent. Its extractive projects follow centuries-old patterns of colonial and neocolonial exploitation characterised by a disregard for environmental protection, human rights, and the socioeconomic wellbeing of local communities. Not to mention the role of fossil fuels in driving the climate crisis.
The irony of TotalEnergies sponsoring a celebration of African unity and resilience can be seen by looking at the damage and disruption caused by some of its recent activities on the continent.
In Mozambique, TotalEnergies entered into a $20 billion liquified natural gas (LNG) deal in 2019. The quest for gas added to a volatile mix of tension and insecurity in the northern region of Cabo Delgado, contributing to the outbreak of an armed conflict that killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.
In Uganda, TotalEnergies is building the longest oil pipeline on the continent. The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project has been described as a "carbon bomb" that will emit more than 34 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year for the next two decades. The pipeline will traverse areas of vital biodiversity, while Human Rights Watch has reported that the project will displace 100,000 people, jeopardising their lives and livelihoods.
Meanwhile, in AFCON host Côte d'Ivoire, where TotalEnergies was granted rights to construct a liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal in 2016, climate change has displaced thousands of residents of the once bustling hub of Grand Lahou amid rising waters, increased storms, coastal erosion and intensifying local conflicts over shrinking resources.
These are just some of the perils that fossil fuels and their merchants have wrought on the people of Africa and the planet. TotalEnergies' sponsorship of AFCON is a strategic and selfish attempt to mask the reputational damage it has accrued from its appalling environmental record. A classic case of greenwashing.
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The French oil company profits immensely from exploiting Africa's natural resources and leaving the continent to bear the environmental, human, and social costs. This dynamic also perpetuates a cycle of dependency and inequality, locking countries into a paradigm that prioritises short-term economic gain from extraction over sustainable development and long-term health.
Granted, the sponsorship by TotalEnergies boosted the grand prize of AFCON by 40% but this hardly atones for the mass displacement and maltreatment of people across Africa. Investing millions in sportswashing while undercompensating displaced households exposes a profound deceit. It also highlights the glaring disconnect between corporate sponsorship and genuine social responsibility.
Thankfully, campaigns like Kick Total Out of Africa and Kick Total Out of AFCON are shedding light on corporations' greenwashing attempts to distract Africans from the contentious aspects of their bloody operations. African leaders must not allow the likes of TotalEnergies to use sport as a tool to manipulate public perception and to secure their interests at the expense of Africa's energy demands, development, and wellbeing. Accepting money from polluters in the name of sports is to abet climate crimes. It must stop now.
Dean Bhekumuzi Bhebhe is the Campaigns Lead at Power Shift Africa.
