a b s t r a c tEnergy is a critical issue for Africa, where large number of people do not have access to energy. Energy recovery from waste can play a role in minimising the impact of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) on the environment with the additional benefit of providing a local source of energy. This study was carried out to assess, at the African level, the role which waste could play in providing energy to citizens and provides an estimate of the total potential of energy from waste incineration and from landfill gas (LFG). The results show an energy potential of all waste generated in Africa of 1125 PJ in 2012 and 2199 PJ in 2025. Nevertheless, if energy recovery through LFG is considered, about 155 PJ could be recovered in 2012 and 363 PJ in 2025 if waste actually collected, or projected to be collected, is considered. The electricity generation could reach 62.5 TWh in 2012 and 122.2 TWh in 2025, in case of full waste collection, compared with electricity consumption in Africa of 661.5 TWh in 2010. If waste actually collected is considered, these estimates decrease respectively to 34.

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1] In the central part of the Lake Chad Basin, Africa, the superficial Quaternary aquifer (500,000 km 2 ) forms the main water resource. Little is known about the aquifer recharge processes. Large piezometric depressions affect the aquifer and are still unexplained. Meteosat thermal composite data were used to infer qualitative information about time-space variations of soil moisture. Over the aquifer, Meteosat data reveal that after heavy rainfall, the piezometric depressions (Kadzell, Chari-Baguirmi) appear cooler than the surrounding areas (Manga and Harr). The interpretation is that above the depressions, rainwater accumulates at the surface and does not infiltrate deep into the ground, leading to the observed cooler ground. Accordingly, the depressions are characterized by low rainwater infiltrability, which presumably results in a small rainfall recharge. As far as we know, this is the first time that an observed surface phenomenon is directly related to the origin of some piezometric depressions.

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Recent debates about Africa's energy future have been heated, often shaped by geopolitical interests, but detached from the context-specific climate and development realities that