Knowledge Production and the Global Energy Transition: A Critical Appraisal of the Influence of International Financial Institutions on African Multilateral Financial Institutions

Knowledge production, albeit not the primary mandate of international financial institutions (IFIs) such as the World Bank, has been instrumental to the influence of these institutions in shaping and framing the narratives and policies that inform global economic as well as domestic policy, especially in the global south. In the context of the global energy transition, reports written by the World Bank or platformed with the World Bank influence the direction of travel for the energy transition discourse. A case in point is seen with the impact of the two World Bank reports published in 2021, which appeared to discredit the reliance on liquified natural gas (LNG) as a transitional bunker fuel for the shipping industry while advocating for ammonia and hydrogen as the most promising zero-carbon bunker fuels for shipping. This raises an important question: How influential are reports and recommendations on energy transition from IFIs on the policy direction of AMFIs? Analysing the policy trends and messaging on LNG as a viable transitional fuel prior to and after the 2021 World Bank reports, this article critically evaluates the extent to which knowledge production by IFIs influences the AMFIs, such as the African Development Bank (AfDB), on its policy direction for energy transition funding in Africa.