Interviews

Clean captive energy in Africa, what UNEP learned from six CICSA pilots

Six pilot installations under CICSA Phase I put clean captive power into hospitals and cold storage across Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa. UNEP’s Carolina Merighi and the Frankfurt School’s Yamini Jain tell ENN what they want to see in the applications now the call is open across the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. At the […]

EXCLUSIVE: Two days without mains power in Lagos and Sambal’s dehydrators kept running

Blessing Unoka won the Pan-African Low Carbon Track at the Future of Energy Conference Innovation Challenge in Accra. Speaking to ENN, the Sambal Enterprise founder describes processing soya milk and maize flour at a Lagos farm gate on solar and battery storage, sending the waste to a biodigester, and returning the fertiliser to the farmers she buys from.

EXCLUSIVE: Seriti Green’s Jasmin Pillay on the just energy transition in Mpumalanga

Jasmin Pillay joined Seriti Green as Chief People Officer a month ago, holding enterprise and social development alongside the internal organisation. Speaking to ENN, she argues that the just energy transition in Mpumalanga rests on communities participating in it rather than receiving it, and that the capabilities the projects need already exist locally.

EXCLUSIVE: Three prototypes and a final product, Mpepu Energy on building turbines in Malawi

Madalitso Chimpeni has been building wind turbines in Malawi for three years. The grant he won through the Youth Energy Summit bought the generators, paid the machinists and gave him room to get it wrong. The turbines are fabricated and waiting for installation, and 120 households are the target.

EXCLUSIVE: Endowment alone is not a guarantee, says AMDC’s Tunde Muritala Arisekola

Namibia, the DRC, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, South Africa, Mali and Burkina Faso have all banned the export of unprocessed minerals. Tunde Muritala Arisekola advises 54 African Union member states on minerals policy, and his argument is that the ban is the easy part.

EXCLUSIVE: Astound Power’s Abubakar Shuaibu on why he left advocacy to build minigrids

Abubakar Shuaibu spent five years campaigning on energy access in Nigeria before founding Astound Power. Speaking to ENN, he explains why he moved from arguing for connections to building them, what state equity changes for a minigrid developer, and where the financing still falls short for young companies.

Energy Transition Challenge Fund’s David Arinze on Nigeria’s $410 billion misreading

David Arinze of the Energy Transition Challenge Fund, who also leads the Nigeria Economic Summit Group's Renewable Energy Thematic Working Group, on why the figure everyone quotes is misread, what a solar factory importing its own glass reveals about Nigerian manufacturing, and where catalytic capital stops working.

Pioneering doesn’t pay, but it might just change Africa

Kwama Energy's Ilute solar project reached financial close in January as what its chairman Sipho Phiri calls Africa's first non-recourse merchant power station. He spoke to ENN about why bankability, not sunlight or wind, is the real constraint on Zambian power, and why proving one model matters more than any single plant.

Before the money moves, someone carries the risk

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.

GE Vernova: Africa can leapfrog the grid challenges seen elsewhere.

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

The capital is already built: why the secondary market matters for Africa’s energy future

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 story has to be about more than access

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.

Zimbabwe-Zambia Energy Projects Summit 3 - 5 November 2026

Nigeria NOW! 19 - 20 November 2026

Play daily puzzles on ENN 1 January - 31 December 2026

Energy news

Clean cooking commitments pass $3.1 billion as a supply shock reaches the kitchen

New pledges of $900 million were announced on 9 July at a virtual meeting of the co-chairs, after the Nairobi summit was postponed. A new programme responds to Strait of Hormuz disruption that the IEA says affected 30 per cent of globally traded LPG.

Seriti Green signs a further R10 billion as Ummbila Emoyeni starts commercial supply

President Cyril Ramaphosa officiates at Bethal in Mpumalanga today as the first 155MW phase of Ummbila Emoyeni begins commercial supply. Standard Bank and RMB financed the R4.8 billion phase, the opening stage of a build planned to pass 900MW across seven phases.

Mining & Minerals

Sierra Leone critical minerals strategy sets the terms for processing at home

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.

Mining & Minerals

Exxaro plans a 100MW battery and a second phase at its Lephalale solar plant

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 quarter of Rwandan households get their electricity without touching the grid

Off-grid systems accounted for 25 per cent of national connectivity against 59.6 per cent on the grid, according to Rwanda Energy Group. A results-based programme backed by the African Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank now stands at $300 million.

ENN Book Club: The Black History Month Edit

In October, Black History Month is celebrated in the United Kingdom, and in February, it is celebrated in the United States. Black History is not confined to a single month: it encompasses the past, present, and future, shaping the world we live in today. Through literature, stories, and lived experiences, we gain insight into resilience, creativity, and the pursuit of justice. In this […]

Schneider Electric – the Future is Digital

Ifeanyi Odoh, Country President East Africa, Schneider Electric, spoke to EnergyNet about the new energy landscape, sustainability, the significance of data centres for East Africa, and the importance of digital infrastructure in powering the future. What is the New Energy Landscape, and what does it mean for sustainability? The New Energy Landscape is a new […]

TAQA Arabia – Pioneering CNG Solutions for East Africa

EnergyNet spoke with Adly Kafafy, Vice President Africa & New Ventures, TAQA Arabia, to find out about Tanzania’s first integrated CNG filling station and conversion centre, the country’s new LNG Virtual Pipeline, and the role of natural gas for the future. You have launched Tanzania’s first integrated compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station and conversion […]

EXCLUSIVE: Two days without mains power in Lagos and Sambal’s dehydrators kept running

Blessing Unoka won the Pan-African Low Carbon Track at the Future of Energy Conference Innovation Challenge in Accra. Speaking to ENN, the Sambal Enterprise founder describes processing soya milk and maize flour at a Lagos farm gate on solar and battery storage, sending the waste to a biodigester, and returning the fertiliser to the farmers she buys from.

Enugu electricity tariff set at N160.4 as NERC questions the subsidy assumption

The Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission set Band A tariffs at N160.4 per kilowatt hour for Mainpower Electricity Distribution. Reaching that number meant treating generation as N45.75 per kilowatt hour. The current average is N112.60. NERC has put the difference at N66.85 and called it a subsidy assumption.

EXCLUSIVE: Endowment alone is not a guarantee, says AMDC’s Tunde Muritala Arisekola

Namibia, the DRC, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, South Africa, Mali and Burkina Faso have all banned the export of unprocessed minerals. Tunde Muritala Arisekola advises 54 African Union member states on minerals policy, and his argument is that the ban is the easy part.

EXCLUSIVE: Astound Power’s Abubakar Shuaibu on why he left advocacy to build minigrids

Abubakar Shuaibu spent five years campaigning on energy access in Nigeria before founding Astound Power. Speaking to ENN, he explains why he moved from arguing for connections to building them, what state equity changes for a minigrid developer, and where the financing still falls short for young companies.

Mining & Minerals

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright says clean cooking is a major focus of Africa policy for the Trump administration

Washington DC | 19, March, 2026 — U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright confirmed a major Africa policy focus: partnering with African governments to create the right conditions to solve the delivery challenges associated with clean cooking across the continent. Secretary Wright told the Powering Africa Summit (PAS) 2026 in Washington D.C. on Thursday: “This […]

Mining & Minerals

Guinea and United States Strengthen Energy Partnership During Powering Africa Summit

Washington, D.C., March 19, 2026 — The Minister of Energy of the Republic of Guinea, Mr. Laye-Sékou Camara, expressed his sincere appreciation to the Government of the United States and senior members of the U.S. Administration for their continued engagement and support for Guinea’s development priorities. Minister Camara emphasized that Guinea attaches great importance to the strengthening […]

Sun Africa, EXIM and African Ministers Set Project-Focused Tone at the Powering Africa Summit in Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — 19 March 2026 — The Powering Africa Summit opened with a clear shift toward execution, as Summit Sponsor Sun Africa and senior government leaders called for bankable projects, scalable infrastructure and deeper U.S.-Africa investment ties. Adam Cortese, CEO of Sun Africa, framed energy as the backbone of industrial growth and cross-Atlantic partnership. […]

West Africa’s regional electricity market enters its first full trading year in January

The grids are synchronised, all fourteen continental countries are connected and two national utilities have already moved into surplus by buying across a border. What has not been tested is whether a market with no new generation behind it can keep clearing. The West African Power Pool and the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority now […]

Ghana starts building the first 100MW of a 1.5GW solar programme for industry

Dr Augustus Goosie Tanoh told the opening of Ghana Investment and Trade Week that construction begins in August, under a joint development agreement signed in April. The government is aggregating demand from industrial parks and inland ports to give generators guaranteed offtake.

Minister outlines reforms executed in Nigeria’s power sector

By Kabir Yusuf, Accra, Ghana December 2, 2025 According to the Minister, Nigeria now has excess generation capacity, producing only about 6,000 megawatts while capable of generating an additional 8,000 megawatts. Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, on Tuesday outlined major reforms undertaken in the last two years to revive the country’s electricity sector, saying […]

YSDN partnership brings Damilola Hamid Balogun’s network to YES! Nigeria in November

EnergyNet has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Youth Sustainable Development Network to deliver the youth programme running alongside the Nigeria NOW! Global Investors Expo in Abuja. The Expo was launched at the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development on 6 August, with four ministries represented.

EXCLUSIVE: Three prototypes and a final product, Mpepu Energy on building turbines in Malawi

Madalitso Chimpeni has been building wind turbines in Malawi for three years. The grant he won through the Youth Energy Summit bought the generators, paid the machinists and gave him room to get it wrong. The turbines are fabricated and waiting for installation, and 120 households are the target.

Africa minigrid internship pilot to place five to ten interns inside AMDA’s own work

The Youth Sustainable Development Network and the Africa Minigrid Developers Association will run four to six week remote placements from later this year, across regulatory coordination, research, sector support and access to capital. Whether it grows depends on an evaluation neither organisation has run yet.

Pele Green Energy’s Jolene on finding your place in the energy transition

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.

Seriti Green’s Chabisi Motloung on the careers waiting for young Africans in renewables

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.

Battery Storage

IPP Office Highlights Storage and Grid Expansion as Critical to South Africa’s Next Energy Growth Phase

South Africa’s energy sector is entering a new phase of its transition, with increasing attention focused on battery energy storage, transmission infrastructure and the reforms required to unlock further investment. As the country continues to expand renewable energy capacity and modernise its electricity market, questions around grid resilience, system flexibility and long-term energy security have […]

Copperbelt Energy financed 136MW at Itimpi on its own bond, without a state guarantee

Itimpi II went into service at Kitwe in May at a cost of $125.8 million, funded entirely from Copperbelt Energy Corporation's $200 million green bond. It is the largest operational solar plant in Zambia, and it was built without a sovereign guarantee standing behind the paper.

Mining & Minerals

Konkola Deep drives toward 300,000 tonnes on CopperTech’s $1.5bn commitment

CopperTech Metals has announced $1.5 billion for the Konkola expansion, on top of Vedanta's $1 billion commitment, as KCM works toward 300,000 tonnes by 2031.

Maamba’s second phase would give one company a fifth of Zambia’s generation

Two 150MW units have been under construction at Sinazongwe since August 2024, financed largely by Zambian pension money and contracted to ZESCO in full. Once running, Maamba Energy would supply around 18% of national generating capacity, with a 100MW solar plant alongside taking the site to 700MW.

Ambassador John Giordano, US Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia | Africa Energy Forum 2026

Ambassador John Giordano, US Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia | Africa Energy Forum 2026

Hlatse Nkune, Principal – Energy Finance, Nedbank | Africa Energy Forum 2026

Hlatse Nkune, Principal – Energy Finance, Nedbank | Africa Energy Forum 2026

Mpho Phasha, Senior Associate Power & Renewables Finance, Nedbank CIB | Africa Energy Forum 2026

Mpho Phasha, Senior Associate Power & Renewables Finance, Nedbank CIB | Africa Energy Forum 2026

Rentia van Tonder, Global Head Power & Renewables, Standard Bank | Africa Energy Forum 2026

Rentia van Tonder, Global Head Power & Renewables, Standard Bank | Africa Energy Forum 2026

The Energy Post Podcast | Green Energy Transition | Transitioning Kenya and the Region

The Energy Post Podcast | Green Energy Transition | Transitioning Kenya and the Region

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright Keynote Speech & Fireside Chat with Rajiv Shah | Powering Africa Summit 2026

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright Keynote Speech & Fireside Chat with Rajiv Shah | Powering Africa Summit 2026

Tour of Rare Earths in the Energy Transition

Mining & Minerals

Tour of Rare Earths in the Energy Transition

Tour of Critical Minerals for the Energy Transition – Andy Calitz and Mary Hemmingsen

Mining & Minerals

Tour of Critical Minerals for the Energy Transition – Andy Calitz and Mary Hemmingsen

Sarah Lane, Denham Capital | West Africa Energy Cooperation Summit (WAECS) 2025

Sarah Lane, Denham Capital | West Africa Energy Cooperation Summit (WAECS) 2025

Michael Konadu, GE Vernova | West Africa Energy Cooperation Summit (WAECS) 2025

Michael Konadu, GE Vernova | West Africa Energy Cooperation Summit (WAECS) 2025

Eunice Biritwum, Energy Commission | West Africa Energy Cooperation Summit (WAECS) 2025

Eunice Biritwum, Energy Commission | West Africa Energy Cooperation Summit (WAECS) 2025

Take a look back: aef 2019 Country Spotlight, Zimbabwe

Southern Africa

Take a look back: aef 2019 Country Spotlight, Zimbabwe

Can Private Power Markets Solve Africa’s Industrial Energy Challenge?

From Capital to Construction: Can Itimpi II Become a Model for African Energy Investment?

Could Cheap Renewable Power Become Africa’s Next Industrial Advantage?

Can Battery Storage Become the Backbone of Africa’s Power System?

Maximising The Power of Regional Collaboration to Scale Up Energy Development

Is Solar Enough? Rethinking Off-Grid Energy in West Africa

DFIs, Local Capital and Financing West Africa’s Power Transition

Strategic Vision for National Electricity & Energy Policy

Youth Powering Africa’s Sustainable Future

Beyond the Grid: Financing Southern Africa’s Energy Revolution with Standard Bank