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Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Djibouti, Gabon, Rwanda and Uganda signed national energy agreements at AEF, carrying Africa’s largest electrification drive deeper into Central and East Africa, while the AfDB’s Daniel Schroth pointed to a partnership that now counts more than thirty development finance institutions.

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.

ATIDI has spent a year behind energy projects across the continent and intends to widen that support, its senior underwriter Annabelle Buzingo told AEF, through greater underwriting capacity, more partners and solutions built for renewable infrastructure, with transmission and local institutions rising up the agenda.

Maud Watelet of Adjuva Partners begins a second term as President of the Alliance for Renewable Electrification, elected at its 25 June General Meeting alongside four board members, with a 2026 mandate that runs from first-time connections and productive use through to commercial installations and grid integration.

Clean cooking reaches fewer headlines than generation and touches more lives. At AEF, South Africa’s Samantha Graham-Maré and the World Health Organisation’s Heather Adair-Rohani argued that it is a matter of health and dignity, and that progress should be counted in households reached rather than commitments made.

Africa is moving to capture more value from its critical minerals. At Africa Energy Forum 2026, ministers and analysts argued that local processing, refining and supply-chain development are now central to the continent’s industrial strategy.

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.