Tech & Power Generation

Multiple wind turbines set against a sunset sky
Finance

Scaling up or scaling back?

Achieving the best funding model for renewable energy schemes is proving a challenge, but patience will be key, writes James Gavin When the World Bank’s Scaling Solar iniative was recently called “a victim of its own success”, the response from the Bank’s private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was suitably pithy. A letter […]
Battery Storage

An All-of-Alliance Approach to Access

Collaboration is required to drive down the cost of much-needed clean energy solutions Africa urgently needs to find more innovative ways of connecting public and private investment to close the finance gap, to accelerate the transition to cleaner energies, and to ensure universal access to electricity on the continent. No one actor can solve this. Rather, a […]
Finance

Mission Critical: How Africa can Profit from its Mineral Boom

Africa has at least a fifth of the world’s reserves in a dozen minerals that are critical for the energy transition. With China and the US desperate for supplies, how can the continent harness this extraordinary opportunity? Writes David Thomas In the tree-topped southern hills of Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, the sprawling Balama mining complex […]
East Africa

Geothermal Race Heats up Africa

Kenya has led the way in developing its geothermal energy resources – with support from the land of ice and fire, Iceland. Can its neighbours catch up? Reports Ben Payton Africa is breaking apart – literally. From the Gulf of Aden in the north, all the way to Mozambique in the south, the African continental […]
Gas

To boldly go

Frontier exploration is still shaping investment in Africa’s upstream, as oil companies unleash capex budgets on exciting new prospects such as Namibia, reports James Gavin The overarching narrative for Africa’s oil and gas sector in recent years has been retreat and retrenchment. As international oil companies slim down their portfolios, they have generally sought to […]
Energy access

Traditional Energy Projects Face up to Funding Challenges

How is Africa’s oil and gas sector dealing with ESG constraints? Development finance is still available for gas-to-power and LNG, but some oil projects are struggling to tap commercial lending support, writes James Gavin The news in early May of this year that Standard Chartered Bank would not be financing the East African Crude Oil […]
Finance

Solar Leads the way as Africa Attracts Fresh Renewables Investment

Some large renewable energy projects are coming to fruition, even if the investment climate for African renewables remains fragile, reports Ian Lewis The case for developing Africa’s copious renewable energy resources to overcome the continent’s huge power deficit has always been strong. It’s a case that has become all the more compelling given the intensifying […]
East Africa

Interview with , British International Investment

A lack of adequate financing for tackling climate change in Africa has become dire and is "choking" the continent, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina said this week. How can investors like BII bridge the gap? As the UK's development finance institution, British International Investment is the UK government's primary vehicle for climate finance. Our […]
East Africa

Interview: H.E. Honourable Davis Chirchir, Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Kenya

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Davis Chirchir, tells David Thomas that the country is working on reducing the price of energy and reforming Kenya’s transmission networks to better serve East Africa’s biggest economy The Ruto administration have set an ambitious new agenda for what you want to achieve in energy. What are your […]
Gas

Egypt’s Green Transition

The Sovereign Fund of Egypt is seeking to mobilise private sector investment in green technologies. Harry Clynch spoke to its CEO, Ayman Soliman, about the Fund’s mandate, and the future of green energy in the MENA region Last year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that Egypt is “highly vulnerable” to the financial consequences of […]
Finance

Green Hydrogen at Heart of Namibia’s Vision 2030

Harry Clynch spoke to James Mnyupe, Economic Advisor to the President of Namibia, about the key role of green hydrogen in the country’s development plan Around the world, industrialised economies are looking to undergo green transitions. Countries across Europe and North America particularly are seeking to reduce their dependence on carbon and fossil fuels by […]
News

The Turkana Artists Exchange Project

As the AEF delegates gather in Nairobi for the 25th edition of this Forum, much will be on their minds as they deliberate on 'energy issues' at the KICC, so far away from where the energy is generated. Peter Achayo, Founder/Publisher of the WhatsArtNBO Journal & AfricanArtMatters reflects on energy, culture and art. Energy is […]

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