DRIVING FACTORS OF CHINA’S ENERGY DIPLOMACY TOWARDS AFRICA IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL ENERGY SECURITY

Energy security has developed into one of the important drivers of Chinese foreign strategy towards Africa. China's diplomatic maneuverings have commercialized its energy needs to ensure lasting and uninterrupted access to resources such as oil and gas from countries endowed with resources particularly sub-Saharan Africa. Ironically, Africa is rich in oil resources but lacks the technological and monetary know-how to explore these resources for the good of the African people. Therefore, Africa has become the target of Chinese oil and gas companies. China continues to employ tactical soft power strategies to infiltrate Africa's exploration and engineering sectors to accomplish its energy needs. China with its technological and financial advantage over Africa continues to invest huge resources in the African energy industry. Chinese energy investment is evident in every part of Africa. China's energy diplomacy aims to secure much-needed energy for the ever-increasing Chinese domestic and industrial needs at a substantially cheaper price. This study seeks to unearth the Driving factors of Chinese energy diplomacy towards Africa from the perspective of international energy security while outlining its effects. The methodology for this study is desktop research.