The 2026 relaunch of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) is a major African geoeconomic milestone, akin to the AfCFTA. Once deemed unfeasible due to Sahel security issues, the project is now revived by a shifted strategic landscape: Europe's post-Ukraine war energy crisis, reshaped political balances in the Sahel, the rise of new regional powers, and intensifying global energy competition.

In recent years, since Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia, the distribution and control over energy flows have been used as powerful tools of foreign policy by the Kremlin. Through their use, Russia has become a key trading partner for the European Union, which, until the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict in 2022, was the main destination for exports of commodities such as natural gas and oil from Russia.