The “French Petroleum Company” was founded on March 28, 1924. Renamed TotalEnergies in 2021, this oil supermajor is celebrating its 100th anniversary. A century of history partly linked to Africa.
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TotalEnergies is celebrating its 100 years of existence on March 28, 2024. A story deeply linked to Africa. The oil company is currently present in 36 countries on the continent, employs more than 10,000 people and earns 20% of its production. Total is working on this alongside many governments who wish to exploit their fossil fuels.
The first major discovery was made in the 1950s in Algeria. But Total anchored its position in 2000, explains Jean-Pierre Favennec, teacher at Paris-Dauphine University, specialist in energy issues, at the microphone of Charlotte Cosset : “ It was the acquisition of Elf by Total that made Total become an extremely important company in Africa. They are obviously very present in the two major producing countries of West and Central Africa, that is to say Angola which is undoubtedly the most important target country for Total and Nigeria. Historically there was a presence in Gabon and Congo. Then obviously there are the Uganda and Mozambique projects. Total discovered gas in South Africa. Total is now quite present in this region and let’s say that it is not necessarily Total’s pre-quartier. But it is therefore an extension over the whole of Africa. »
Total’s activities on the continent focus on distribution as well as oil exploration and exploitation. Today, the company is somewhat reorganizing its activities. Olivier Appert, advisor to the Energy and Climate Center of the French Institute of International Relations in France (Ifri), deciphers: “ There has nevertheless been a significant evolution in TotalEnergies’ strategy over the last 4-5 years, which is a reorientation of investments towards renewable energies. Today, investments in the field of renewable energies still represent a significant part of Total’s total investments, of the order of 25%, and the share of investments in renewable energies tends to increase. »
A little solar and wind power, but above all investments in gas: a strategy put forward by the company, generally encouraged by African states, however criticized by certain researchers and NGOs.
Total’s last two major extraction projects on the continent, in Uganda and Mozambique, are the subject of strong protests from NGOs and civil society.
To contain global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calls for a rapid exit from fossil fuels, including gas. According to experts, it would be necessary to reduce oil by 65% and gas by 45% to meet the objectives.
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