The war in the Middle East has investors scouring for an alternate energy fix. Africa can be a major beneficiary.

Executives who were considering whether to enter African markets are now looking at how fast they can deploy capital to secure supply chains, according to Andrew Herring, chairman for energy and power at professional services firm Marsh’s UK unit.

“The Africa risk premium that used to deter many institutional investors is now being weighed against the Middle East volatility premium,” he said. “For an increasing number of global players, Africa is now the more bankable bet for long-term energy stability.”

The continent’s appeal is multi-fold.

Its hydrocarbon producers are geographically diverse, it has vast reserves of untapped fossil fuels both on- and offshore, and it has almost boundless potential to generate renewable energy.

Already the likes of Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria and Angola feed the global gas and oil markets — and are looking to increase output — while several nascent producers are set to join their ranks.

Aliko Dangote, the continent’s richest man, is benefiting from the supply shock, with his $20 billion Nigerian refinery inundated with orders. His expansion plans include building a massive new fuel-processing plant in Tanzania to service the East African market.

There are potential pitfalls for those looking to tap Africa’s energy riches, though.

Mozambique is a case in point, as TotalEnergies and Exxon Mobil can testify. They both put planned gas megaprojects on hold for years as the government and foreign troops struggled to bring an Islamic State-linked insurgency under control. Total announced a restart in January, while a decision by Exxon is pending.

In addition to security, African nations will need to provide policy certainty, help mitigate against risk and allow investors to cash in faster.

They will have to move quickly, too, to turn the current war-spurred interest into long-term riches.