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The 2024 Electricity (Open Access) Regulations let private intermediaries sell directly to customers for a wheeling fee, and roughly a quarter of trades on the regional exchange are no longer long-term bilateral contracts. Stanbic is preparing a procurement programme that aggregates demand across several mining offtakers.

Morocco’s ambassador to Washington confirmed the discussions to Bloomberg on 25 July, six days after ECOWAS heads of state signed the intergovernmental agreement in Freetown. Construction on the 6,800km route is expected to begin in 2028, with first deliveries targeted for 2031. The estimated cost is $26 billion.

Freetown launched a five-year plan in May covering lithium, graphite, cobalt and rare earths, as mineral exports climbed to $1.3 billion. Julius Daniel Mattai, who chairs the African Diamond Producers Association this year, wants African governments negotiating as a bloc rather than one at a time.

Niger State has broken ground on 200MW for a steel complex, SEN’EAU has inaugurated 21MW in Senegal, and distributed systems now make up 44 per cent of new African capacity.

he National Council on Privatisation has approved performance agreements covering Afam Power and Afam III Fast Power, six years after the assets were sold. The Bureau of Public Enterprises can now hold the buyer to the operating targets it committed to, and the transmission company has been separated into two entities.

ZESA puts private construction in progress at 635MW, with a further 730MW closing its financing. The utility is targeting an end to imports and load shedding by the close of next year, on a system where dependable capacity has run below peak demand.

Africa nuclear power is on the rise, with Egypt and Rwanda leading the way in adopting advanced reactor technology.

Exxaro will add a 100MW battery and a second phase at Lephalale, as Cennergi targets almost 1,000MW of renewables by the end of 2027 and 1,600MW by 2030.

A seven-year Green Climate Fund programme will reach 225,000 people in Mozambique through competitively procured solar mini-grids and results-based payments for productive-use equipment.

Africa’s energy sector needs hundreds of thousands more engineers, financiers and project managers. It also needs better ways to reach the experienced professionals already available. Zandile Hlatywayo of Allied Talent Partners on why a network of 12,000 independent specialists matters as much as the long-term pipeline.