31st Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Distinguished Fellow, Energy Policy Research Foundation
December 9, 2025
Washington D.C., USA
Mr. Francois Baird argued that Africa’s greatest challenge is energy poverty, noting that 600 million Africans lack electricity and many rely on diesel generators. He stressed that limited energy access fuels poverty, unemployment, instability, and extremism, with 90% of global terrorist attacks now occurring in Africa. He warned that growing Chinese and Russian influence including control of ports and strategic infrastructure threatens U.S. security interests.
To address this, he proposed “Edison Accords,” modeled after the Abraham Accords, as a new U.S. Africa energy diplomacy framework focused on investment, not aid. The initiative would expand access to reliable electricity through oil, gas, and broader energy development, enabling industrialization, job creation, and economic growth. He emphasized that supporting Africa’s energy transformation would counter extremist threats, reduce dependence on China, strengthen U.S. economic opportunities, and promote long-term prosperity and security for both Africa and the United States.
31st Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Mr. Dave McMurtry, an investment fund manager focused on the lithium-ion battery supply chain, emphasized that developing a domestic Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) industry is critical to U.S. national…
31st Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Dr. Kevin Dayaratna argues that access to affordable and reliable energy is the fundamental driver of human flourishing, economic growth, and national security. He demonstrates that as energy consumption has…
31st Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
In his remarks, Hon. Sohan Dasgupta highlights the growing national security and economic risks posed by heavy dependence on China for critical minerals. He explains that minerals such as lithium,…
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François Baird, an African migrant and U.S. citizen, emphasized that energy access is central to stability, development, and food security in Africa. He highlighted how the continent’s abundant resources remain…
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Lucian Pugliaresi, President of the Energy Policy Research Foundation, underscored the practical and systemic challenges associated with achieving net zero emissions by 2050. He emphasized that energy forecasts, even from…
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Ambassador Carla Sands underscored the paramount significance of energy security in safeguarding national security, fostering economic prosperity, and maintaining global stability. She critically examined prevailing Western policies that prioritize net-zero…
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Honorable Helene Conway-Mouret underscored the paramount importance of information, intelligence, and energy security in fostering national and global resilience. She elucidated how global dependencies on foreign resources, exacerbated by short-term…
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Mr. Lucian Pugliaresi commented through slideshows about technology constraints, costs, risks, and failure modes of the energy transition. He stated that what we know about models is they’re all wrong,…
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Mr. François Baird, founder of the FairPlay movement, addressed the link between energy access, food security and stability for developing nations, particularly in Africa. He pointed out that according to…
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Ms. Diana Furchtgott-Roth stated that energy security is of vital importance to all regions. She explained that we have seen from the events with Russia and Ukraine that energy security…
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Mr. Paul N. Watkins approached energy security from the perspective of private-sector ESG pressures, asserting that the environmental pillar of ESG effectively centers on achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Citing…
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Ambassador Carla Sands, a former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, and the current energy policy leader at the America First Policy Institute, asserted that the world…
