The Africa Energy Forum (AEF) has made history by holding its conference in Africa for the first time. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the forum took place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya. The event, organized by EnergyNet and officially endorsed by Kenya’s President H.E. Dr. William Ruto, commenced on June 20th and will run until June 23rd, 2023.
The aef has established itself as the leading gathering of decision-makers in African energy, playing a crucial role in fostering partnerships, identifying opportunities, and propelling the industry forward over the past 24 years.
President Ruto highlighted Kenya’s experience in the energy sector, emphasizing its potential, policies, investment opportunities, and projects that exemplify the vast possibilities within the African energy and climate action complex. Kenya’s early investment in renewable energy has yielded remarkable results, with renewable sources now constituting 73% of the country’s installed electricity generation capacity, accounting for over 90% of electricity generation and distribution.
Simon Gosling, the Managing Director of EnergyNet Ltd, expressed excitement about hosting the Africa Energy Forum on mainland Africa for the first time. This special 25th edition provides an unparalleled platform for stakeholders to connect, collaborate, and drive the continent’s energy agenda forward.
With the theme “Africa for Africa,” this year’s agenda at the aef focuses on strategic areas such as mining, hydrogen, connectivity, and the “Just Transition.” The goal is to advance projects, partnerships, and business development in the energy sector. Kenya’s largest power producer, KenGen, is the host of this year’s event.
Sun Africa CEO, Adam Cortese, emphasized the company’s commitment to clean energy solutions in Africa, citing technical expertise, supply chain capabilities, partnerships with best-in-class engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) partners, and access to capital as their strengths in delivering cost-effective and efficient clean energy solutions, ranging from utility-scale installations to microgrids.
EnergyNet, renowned for organizing the aef, has become the premier meeting place for senior-level decision-makers in Africa’s power sector. With a track record of success, the aef brings together key stakeholders to discuss, debate, and shape the future of the continent’s power industry.
Alongside the aef, the Youth Energy Summit (YES!) will return for its second edition, focusing on empowering the next generation of African energy leaders. YES! aims to enhance the skills, connections, and business readiness of over 1,000 participants, including early career professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and educators, to accelerate access to reliable energy across the continent.
This year’s event features the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) as the first foundational partner. GEAPP, consisting of philanthropists, local entrepreneurs, governments, technology enablers, policymakers, and finance partners, aims to support developing countries in transitioning to a clean energy, pro-growth model that ensures universal energy access and economic development.
The Africa Energy Forum provides attendees with the opportunity to engage with stakeholders and decision-makers from across the continent and around the world. The event includes high-level panel discussions, interactive workshops, and talks covering a wide range of themes and issues, including expanding renewables in Africa, overcoming energy transition barriers in the mining sector, and Africa’s potential as a global hydrogen powerhouse.
The conference will cover various vital topics in the African energy sector, exploring the increasing pace and scale of renewable energy projects, the role of Africa’s gas resources, breaking down barriers to energy transition in the mining sector, capital flow and risk mitigation in today’s markets, and financing Africa’s transition.
By bringing together industry leaders, experts, policymakers, and stakeholders, the aef aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas, best practices, and innovative approaches to address Africa’s energy challenges. Through these engagements, the forum seeks to catalyze the development of sustainable energy projects, technologies, and policies that contribute to the continent’s energy transition, economic growth, and social development.
