The Time is Right: Building Energy Infrastructure to Power African Industrialization
Editorial by Joseph Anis, President & CEO, Europe, Middle East & Africa, GE Vernova’s Gas Power business.
Africa’s ongoing industrial expansion is supported by new economic realities that make this moment a significant turning point. Achieving these goals requires an “all-of-the-above” approach to the energy mix, a commitment to grid modernization, and a focus on improving local capabilities across the value chain.
Deploying the right mix as the momentum builds
Today, new realities support African energy development. Global power demand has entered an investment super-cycle, and electricity demand in Africa is rising across industrial manufacturing, mining, residential and commercial sectors, increased grid connectivity, expanded electrification in remote regions, and a rapid rise in electric vehicles. Further accelerating this trend is the growing role of power in the AI revolution across the continent.
It’s no surprise, then, that the theme of the Africa Energy Forum 2026 is: “Building Africa’s Industrialized Future,” with a focus on the reliable baseload needs of heavy energy consumers.
However, on a continent with vast conventional and renewable energy resources, meeting power demand looks different in each country. The unique mix of natural resources and energy needs means each country has a distinct energy development roadmap.
To address this, power operators across the continent and around the world are discussing with GE Vernova how the challenge can be addressed. We bring expertise across a broad portfolio of technologies – including gas power, nuclear, wind, hydro, and storage – to help deliver the industrial-grade reliability required for expanded industrialization. Selecting the right energy mix is vital, not only for managing the variability of renewables but also for strengthening baseload availability.
Central to this mix is the role of highly efficient gas power generation, which provides the critical baseload stability needed to support industrial growth. Our HA gas turbine fleet, which recently surpassed 4 million commercial operating hours globally, delivers flexible, reliable power at scale. By replacing aged, less efficient generation, these technologies not only boost grid reliability but are also engineered to evolve, supporting carbon-capture integration and lower-emission fuel pathways as the continent pursues its long-term decarbonization goals.
The grid backbone
As generation capacity grows, Africa’s grid infrastructure must grow with it. New power plants are critical, but their full impact depends on the grid infrastructure needed to move electricity reliably, manage it intelligently, and deliver it where demand is rising across economies and communities.
This makes the grid a strategic part of Africa’s industrialization journey. Modern transmission networks, substations, grid stabilization technologies, automation and software can help utilities manage more complex power flows, integrate more renewable energy and improve reliability for industrial customers.
Across the region, GE Vernova works with utilities and grid operators to support this transition, helping strengthen the grid backbone needed for industrial parks, mining, manufacturing, data centers, growing cities, and essential services.
Reliable power is only the start. It must also be managed efficiently and delivered with confidence. By helping customers move electricity from where it is generated to where it is needed, GE Vernova is supporting the resilient electrical infrastructure that African economies need to compete, grow and thrive.
Supply Chain Resilience
Industrializing Africa requires more than technology – it requires building local capabilities. By investing in a highly skilled local workforce and embedding operational expertise within the region, we ensure that the power infrastructure driving Africa’s growth is built, maintained, and led by those who know the landscape best.
For more than 125 years, GE Vernova has been honored to be part of the continent’s energy sector. Today, the company integrates global technology with local supply chains to foster long-term industrial stability. In Algeria, for example, GEAT, a joint venture with Sonelgaz, serves as an advanced manufacturing, assembly, digital, service, and repair center for power turbines. Operations expanded to include high and extra-high voltage substation equipment, supporting up to 134 substations by 2028 and fostering new job opportunities. In South Africa, we are growing the domestic supplier base through the Londvolota Trust. This initiative supports companies in sectors such as machining, valves, and mechanical seals. By providing the training these suppliers need, we improve project quality while ensuring our investment contributes to the local economy.
Driving the mission to Electrify to Thrive and Decarbonize is a workforce of local engineers, technicians, and experts. We are also committed to the next generation of leadership. Through our Next Engineers program in Johannesburg, a partnership with PROTEC and the University of the Witwatersrand, we are closing the STEM skills gap. Since 2022, we have reached nearly 4,100 learners, coupled with our $7.3 million bursary program for over 900 beneficiaries pursuing Bachelor’s degrees in Science, Commerce, and Arts since 2020 to date.
The work we do today will help define the continent’s trajectory for generations, and we look forward to working together to turn today’s potential into a tangible, industrialized, and electrified future.
