YES! 2023 – Jennifer Boca, Head – Responsible Investment, Lekela Advisors

In the realm of energy infrastructure, Africa stands at a pivotal juncture. The continent, with its ever-expanding population and growing economy, faces a pressing need for reliable and sustainable energy sources. To give a deeper understanding of the present condition of utilities in Africa, as of 2022, an estimated 600 million people, or about 43% […]

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.

The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development launched the November expo with a commitment to stay involved through the preparatory period, naming three further ministries as deliberate participants and asking that the event be judged on what is delivered after it closes.

Four bids totalling around 2,800MW were submitted against a 2,000MW target when the window closed on 29 May. IPP Office head Precious Edward has said the programme remains on the timeline communicated to the market, which put preferred bidders roughly three months after close.

TotalEnergies has agreed a 1.8-billion-dollar infrastructure deal with Global Infrastructure Partners, selling equity stakes in its African pipeline and export network. The transaction secures institutional capital from the BlackRock subsidiary while maintaining operational control through a fifteen-year throughput tariff framework.

Kenya Power has started work on a KSh900 million transmission line to connect Lodwar to the national grid, decommissioning a weather-vulnerable diesel generator facility that costs the utility the same amount to run annually.

Camco built REPP 2 expecting commercial investors in the debt tranche and development finance institutions in the equity. Speaking to ENN, Fund Director Benjamin Hugues says the opposite happened within the equity, and puts it down to defence spending shrinking the development finance available and Western governments choosing returnable capital over grants.

Vincenzia Leitich is Executive Vice President for Power and Renewables, Client Coverage at Standard Bank. Across two episodes of the Let's Talk Energy Podcast she told ENN how open access has turned mining into an anchor customer for African renewables, and why transmission rather than capital is now the binding constraint.