Thought Leadership

Thought Leadership

OP-Ed: From Labs to Listings. How the AfroHackathon Can Unlock Africa’s First Lithium-Ion IPOs

Africa is inextricably linked to the global decarbonising future, but the cycle must be broken that has defined this transition for eons: exporting unprocessed lithium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, phosphates and graphite while importing finished batteries at a premium. The Lithium-Ion Battery Value Chain is brutally clear. Mining captures just $11 billion, while value-added segments and end-user markets i.e. Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Battery energy storage systems (BESS) send a minimum $7 trillion beyond the continent’s shores.

Thought Leadership

One market, two clocks: what South Africa’s trading rules are actually deciding

NERSA extended the comment window on the third version of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market rules to 28 August after stakeholders asked for more time. Eskom's court challenge to five trading licences is stayed rather than withdrawn, which makes the drafting a negotiation as much as a consultation.

Thought Leadership

South Africa LNG imports could answer both the gas cliff and the power cliff

South Africa has no grid-connected gas-to-power at all, and two supply deadlines arriving in 2030. Standard Bank's gas sector lead sets out how two LNG import terminals, four bids submitted in May and the 6GW the IRP wants built could change that, and what the whole programme might cost.

Thought Leadership

West Africa is wiring itself into one market

A four-hour test announced last November ran the region's grids as a single synchronous network for the first time, and the power pool behind it wants that permanent by mid-year. The World Economic Forum's Rakesh Bohra and Justine Roche set out the reforms, and the $36 billion pipeline, asking investors to pay attention.

Thought Leadership

Off-grid power is now an execution business

Fifty million people gained electricity under Mission 300 and another 250 million wait on a deadline of 2030. At AEF, Ignite's Yariv Cohen, Sun King's Radhika Thakkar and the Mission 300 Accelerator's Andrew Herscowitz argued that the distributed energy sector's task has shifted from proving the model to scaling it.

Thought Leadership

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 […]

Thought Leadership

Momentum gathers for Madagascar’s 127MW Volobe hydro

Madagascar's largest-ever power project is moving towards financial close, with development finance lining up behind it. Writing for African Energy, Marc Howard reports on the 127MW Volobe hydro scheme, set to provide around a third of on-grid supply and help end the country's costly reliance on imported fuel.

Thought Leadership

Turning Ambition into Action: How RFCC and ATP are Collaborating to Support Mission 300 Delivery

Mission 300 aims to connect 300 million people by 2030, but turning national plans into delivery takes specialist expertise, fast. This piece sets out how RF Catalytic Capital and Allied Talent Partners are building an expert roster facility to get niche technical talent to governments at the moment they need it.

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 […]

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.

Nigeria’s off-grid programme has 11 million connections to find before December 2028

DARES has reached 5.3 million Nigerians against a target of 16.2 million at the project's close, with solar home unit deployments at 1.046 million against 2.75 million. The World Bank has released further funding after Nigeria met four performance conditions, while rating political and macroeconomic risk high.

Nigerian research houses take the reporting role Nigeria NOW! will be measured against

Nextier and The Electricity Hub both research the Nigerian power and policy landscape and publish through their own podcasts and platforms. Their involvement around the Nigeria NOW! Global Investors Expo in November puts domestic analysis alongside the international coverage a summit of this kind usually attracts.

Nigeria’s sovereign fund puts domestic capital behind distributed renewable energy

The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority manages the country's sovereign wealth across three ring-fenced funds and has built a platform for distributed renewable energy in the Nigerian market. Its role matters to a sector where the shortage is rarely projects and almost always the capital willing to take early risk.

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.

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.

Thought Leadership

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 […]

Tech & Power Generation

Zambia Tanzania interconnector nears completion as two African power pools prepare to trade

A US$292 million grant is funding the Zambian section of the line that joins the Southern African Power Pool to its East African counterpart. Work on the Tanzanian side was due to finish this year. Once live, Zambia can import in a dry year and export in a wet one.

Mining & Minerals

Zimbabwe ferrochrome smelters face a 2026 captive power deadline with the year half gone

Harare ended subsidised grid tariffs for the sector and required smelters to build their own generation, primarily renewable. Smelting draws 3,500 to 4,000 kilowatt hours a tonne. The requirement arrives alongside a raw mineral export ban that asks the same companies to process more, not less.

Mining & Minerals

Zimbabwe lithium concentrate ban takes effect in January with one sulphate plant complete

Harare requires exports of concentrate to stop on 1 January and has made written commitments on plant timelines a condition of trading until then. Two facilities are still under construction. Producers have asked for the date to move, and the answer will decide who is exporting in February.

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 Africa industrialise without first fixing its grids?

Can Off-Grid Energy Power Africa’s Industrial Future?

Is South Africa’s Electricity Grid the Biggest Barrier to Renewable Energy Investment?

Can Electric Mobility Become Africa’s Next Infrastructure Investment Opportunity?

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