Mapping Africa’s energy wealth and 560 million who remain without power

Africa holds billions of barrels of oil, trillions of cubic metres of gas and produces most of the world’s cobalt and manganese for electric car batteries.This week, energy ministers, investors and oil executives are meeting in Cape Town for African Energy Week, which runs until October 16. The conference focuses on investment in oil and gas, energy finance and ending energy poverty.In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera maps where Africa’s oil, gas and critical minerals are found, how its electricity is generated and who still goes without it.How much oil does Africa have?Africa holds about 125 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, representing 7.2 percent of the global total. Proven reserves are oil that has been discovered and can be extracted commercially with existing technology, but is still in the ground.Libya and Nigeria account for nearly 70 percent of Africa’s reserves, with 48.4 billion and 36.9 billion barrels, respectively. Algeria ranks third, with 12.2 billion barrels. Angola follows with 7.78 billion barrels, while South Sudan and Egypt hold 3.75 billion and 3.3 billion barrels, respectively.Nigeria was Africa’s largest oil producer in 2024, accounting for abo...