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Africa’s largest electrification drive set out to bring power to 300 million people by 2030. At the opening of the Africa Energy Forum 2026 in Cape Town, the Presidents of the World Bank and the African Development Bank used a joint video message to mark how far it has already travelled, and what is carrying it.

Saudi solar manufacturer Desert Technologies used the Africa Energy Forum to showcase a portfolio built around AI, pairing high-performance solar and storage with tools for forecasting, performance analytics and predictive maintenance. The company also set out its mini-grid work for the communities across Africa still beyond the reach of the grid.

Four months after leaving smelting for renewables, Seriti Green’s Chabisi Motloung has a message for young Africans: this is where the careers are. Speaking to ENN at AEF’s Youth Energy Summit, the COO makes the case for reinvention, problem-solving, and the dream of a single interconnected African grid.

Pele Green Energy began as a drive to transform young South Africans’ lives, with energy as the conduit. Speaking to ENN at AEF, Jolene Shaw of Knowledge Pele shares what nearly sixteen years has taught her, and why young entrepreneurs should find their place across the whole energy value chain.

With some of the world’s best solar and wind resources, Africa is positioned to leapfrog into a low-cost renewable future. Writing for ENN, Kenneth Engblom, Vice President at Wärtsilä Energy, makes the case that the right mix of renewables, storage and flexible engines, rather than batteries alone, builds grids that are cleaner, more affordable and more reliable.

GE Vernova’s Kenneth Oyakhire on why the world is in an electricity investment supercycle, and how Africa can build a resilient grid rather than simply add capacity. Speaking at AEF, he set out the firming technology that lets the continent leapfrog the grid-stability challenges seen elsewhere

Seriti Green’s Peter Venn on why South Africa’s largest wind project is being built in the heart of coal country. Speaking to ENN at AEF, he explains how Ummbila Emoyeni reskills coal workers for wind, draws its workforce from the local towns, and stands as a project of hope for Mpumalanga.

Africa’s industrial future will be decided less by what lies under the ground than by what is built above it. At the Africa Energy Forum, John Giordano, US Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia, made the case that industrialisation is a connectivity story, and that investment follows once a country shows it is stable and governed by the rule of law.

Closing Africa’s infrastructure investment deficit will take more than financing new projects. Speaking to ENN at AEF, Ziyaad Sarang of Investec and Revego Fund Managers makes the case for the secondary market, where owning operating renewable assets lets developers recycle their capital into the next wave, and explains why institutional investors are backing African renewables in a way they weren’t a decade ago.

Absa’s Shirley Webber on why Africa’s energy ambitions have to reach beyond access to industrial capacity. Speaking to ENN at AEF, she argues that powering the whole value chain, and going beyond funding into advisory and structured solutions, is what an industrialised African future demands.