Yemisi Izuora
The 20th Africa Energy Forum will evaluate the success and impact of several of Africa’s leading government-funded programmes and initiatives designed to increase energy access on the continent.
The emergence of initiatives and tools has been a growing trend over the last two decades, as governments and private sector look to address the energy shortage in Africa with creative solutions.
Earlier this month, South Africa’s REIPPP Programme became the subject of renewed discussion as new Minister of Energy Jeff Radebe announced 27 Independent Power Projects (IPPs) are to be signed imminently, with further delays unlikely to derail this significant step forward for the project.
The move would unlock R56 billion investment for the South African economy, stimulating employment opportunities and increasing foreign investment into the country’s energy sector.
The IFC/World Bank’s Scaling Solar Programme was similarly designed to stimulate the development of solar projects by assisting privately funded solar projects with services such as risk management, tendering advice and competitive financing.
Zambia witnessed this success first hand in 2016 when several world leading global developers competed to develop the country’s first large-scale solar plants after working with the initiative, which could potentially expand into energy storage.
Power Africa, launched in 2013 by the US Government, holds the target of establishing 60 million new home and business connections across the continent. The Africa Energy Forum will welcome representatives from these various initiatives to benchmark progress, reflect on the challenges and discuss further opportunities for collaboration in Africa’s energy sector.
The theme of the Africa Energy Forum is Reflections on the last 20 years, celebrating the achievements of the African power community over the last two decades. Key participants who supported the first years of the conference will be invited back to reflect on how the sector has evolved, and discuss developments set to shape the industry over the next 20 years.
Representatives from the World Bank and University of California, Berkeley will document outcomes throughout the Forum to assemble a reference document with action points for the next two decades.