Energy access

Multiple wind turbines set against a sunset sky
Energy access

Wärtsilä signs 5-year agreement to operate power plant for Boto Gold Mine in Senegal

Technology group Wärtsilä has entered a five-year Operation and Maintenance (O&M) agreement with Boto SA, a subsidiary of Moroccan mining group, Managem, for a 23 MW captive power plant at the Boto Gold Project in eastern Senegal. This milestone project represents a development in support of Senegal’s rapidly expanding mining and energy sector, and aligns with the […]
Energy access

African private capital investment in renewable energy and infrastructure projects

Angela Simpson and Alexandra Clüver Private capital investors in Africa are successfully navigating a turbulent investment environment – shaped by global economic challenges and rapidly evolving regulations – and in the process, seizing exciting opportunities in the continent’s energy and infrastructure space. According to a recent AVCA report, Understanding the Context – Africa’s Infrastructure Financing […]
Energy access

15 Years in the Making: Memory Mashingaidze on the Great Zimbabwe Hydro Project

The Great Zimbabwe Hydro was co-founded in 2010 as one of the country’s pioneering independent power producers (IPPs). After years of resilience in the face of cyclones, funding hurdles, and construction challenges, the company successfully commissioned its hydroelectric plant in November 2024. Memory Mashingaidze, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Great Zimbabwe Hydro, reflects on […]
Energy access

Sidi Ould Tah Assumes Office As 9th President of the African Development Bank Group

History was made today when Dr. Sidi Ould Tah was sworn-in as the ninth President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB). At exactly 11:04 Abidjan time, on a rainswept Monday morning, Dr. Sidi took his oath-of-office, at the helm of Africa’s premier development finance institution succeeding Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina who has completed his […]
Energy access

ENGIE Energy Access’ Helen Zulu discusses Mini-Grids, Innovation and Powering Rural Zambia

With Zambia setting its sights on universal electricity access by 2030, accelerating rural electrification has become central to the mission. At the forefront of this transformation is ENGIE Energy Access (EEA), driving one of the country’s most dynamic solar mini-grid programmes. With 24 mini-grid sites already powering communities and many more on the way, EEA […]
Energy access

Mission 300 races against time to transform African economies

June 2025 | Africa Energy Forum Mission 300’s ambitious drive to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030 took on new urgency as development leaders warned they are in “a race against time” to deliver economic transformation alongside energy access. The session, moderated by GEAPP’s Chianda Njogu, revealed how the initiative is fundamentally reshaping […]
Energy access

Ruvyironza Hydropower Project Now Operational in Burundi

August 2025 – Gridworks is pleased to share that the Ruvyironza Hydropower Project, a 1.65MW run-of-river plant in south-central Burundi, is now fully operational. Developed by Songa Energy, a subsidiary of Anzana Electric Group (formerly Virunga Power), the project was officially commissioned in April 2025 with national partner REGIDESO, the state-owned electricity and water utility. […]
Energy access

Africa Unleashed: The Energy Imperative for a Prosperous Future

A staggering 600 million people in Africa still live without electricity, accounting for over 80% of the world’s unelectrified population. Africa Unleashed, a new report by the Boston Consulting Group, presents a clear and urgent call to action: achieving universal energy access is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic necessity for Africa’s […]
Energy access

Genesis Energy and Desert Technologies signed a strategic collaboration agreement at the Africa Energy Forum to accelerate renewable energy access in Africa

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia / London, United Kingdom — Genesis Energy Holding (“GENESIS”), a leading Pan-African clean energy infrastructure development and asset management company, and Desert Technologies Industries Factory CJSC (“D-T”), a global leader in smart solar infrastructure headquartered in Saudi Arabia, have formally signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement during the 27th Africa Energy Forum (AEF 2025)—the continent’s premier […]
Energy access

Africa’s energy transformation must be built for scale

Africa’s energy crisis isn’t just about who lives in the dark at night—it’s about what doesn’t happen during the day. Machines don’t run, goods don’t move, and economies don’t grow because the electricity simply isn’t there. AFC’s State of Africa’s Infrastructure Report 2025 calls for a new approach—one focused on scale, integration, and investment-ready solutions […]
Energy access

AMDA and UNDP Partner to Accelerate Minigrid Deployment Across Africa

CAPE TOWN, 25 June 2025 — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Africa Minigrid Developers Association (AMDA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in accelerating the deployment of sustainable minigrids across Africa. The MoU was signed on 19 June during the Africa Energy Forum (AEF) held in Cape Town, South Africa. The […]
Energy access

TDB Group Signs Landmark Agreements With Leading Dre And Clean Cooking Companies To Deliver Clean Energy Access For 3 Million People Within A Year, As Part Of An Initial String Of Deals

The agreements signed on the sidelines of AEF are part of TDB Group’s Regional Energy Access Financing Platform, a first-of-its-kind platform supported by the World Bank’s ASCENT Program under Mission 300 Cape Town, 19 June 2025 – The Trade and Development Bank Group (TDB Group), and its concessional and grant window, the Trade and Development […]

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