The African Union (AU) on Friday said Africa requires a holistic approach to meet the continent's energy demand.

Amani Abou-Zeid, the AU Commissioner of Infrastructure and Energy, said Africa's difficult situation regarding access to modern energy services signifies the need to utilize all forms of its abundant energy resources, including renewable and non-renewable energy.

"In the short to medium term, fossil fuels, especially natural gas will have to play a crucial role in expanding modern energy access in addition to accelerating the uptake of renewables," she told reporters during a press briefing on the sidelines of the 4th AU Mid-Year Coordinating Meeting.

She said the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict call for the urgent need for Africa to consider developing its own energy security plan that promotes intra-Africa trade and encourages increased African oil and gas production.

Africa stands ready to tap the opportunities arising from the current global dynamics while working to address the repercussions, she added.

According to her, priority should be given to developing Africa's natural gas sector as this would provide flexible power generation that could anchor large-scale variable renewable energy production through high-voltage interconnections in the medium and long-term.

She further said an African energy transition program has been designed to create resilience to climate change as well as provide solutions to current and future crises.