Agenda 2026

NB: Topics, times and speakers may be subject to change as the agenda develops.

Reforming Energy Financial Infrastructure for Industrial Growth – What’s Needed to Succeed?

This is an invitation-only roundtable for the confirmed DFI contributors and SWFs only. This is designed to foster a deeper dialogue among participants.

What Does a “Just” Energy Transition Mean for Africa?

With funders becoming more open to returning to gas projects, we consider how different paths are needed for different economies.

• How pragmatic do we need to be about using gas for development?
• Do African countries need an energy mix that priorities national industrialisation over external climate conditionalities?
• Is a short term “carbon overdraft” necessary to accelerate towards RE implementation?

Large Scale Transmission and Distribution Projects

Focus on private T&D development has increased hugely – we look at the new shift.

• Which factors could destabilise the push for private investment into T&D?
• What is the impact on the public sector of open access T&D?
• How are the M300 compacts encouraging investment into T&D and what progress has been made to date?
• Does the emergence of private sector electricity traders increase the opportunity/urgency for more T&D investment?

What Role Does DRE Play in Achieving Africa’s Energy Access Objectives?

We examine the critical impact that DRE can have on bringing affordable, reliable electricity to Sub-Saharan Africa.

• How are M300 compacts encouraging investment into DRE and driving sustained growth into off-grid?
• Are RBF mechanisms and demand stimulation initiatives making investment into innovative off-grid solutions more sustainable?
• Where is DRE powering productive use and making rural electrification bankable?

Rising Global Demand for Critical Minerals: Africa’s Opportunity

With around 30% of global mineral reserves, Africa has a key opportunity to leverage this demand to promote wider industrial growth.

• What’s the real demand outlook and who’s driving it?
• From the Lobito Corridor to the BRI: which partnerships are emerging to get projects underway?
• Is Africa ready to maximise this opportunity for broader industrial expansion?
• How can African nations successfully enforce local processing hubs?

Scene Setting Remarks:

Rita Madeira, Africa Programme Manager, International Energy Agency (IEA)

Closing the Risk Gap: Pragmatic Financial Solutions for Bankable IPPs

• Where do IPP transactions fail and why?
• Can currency risk be structurally removed, rather than expensively priced?
• In markets where sovereign guarantees are not available, what tools can successfully
  enable the development of energy projects?
• What conditions would unlock institutional investment in African power markets?

This invitation-only roundtable will bring together Ministers of Finance, Energy, and Mining, senior public sector leaders, and a select group of industry and mining executives.

Country Host:
H.E. Honourable Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Minister of Electricity & Energy, South Africa

Scene Setting Remarks:
Claudio Fassiotti, Enterprise Regional Business Lead, Africa, NVIDIA

French – English Translation

South Africa – Grid Resilience and Expansion

NTCSA’s TDP plans to build 14,500 km of new transmission infrastructure in the next 10 years.

• What opportunities do these projects present to the private sector and to regional private T&D capacity and expertise?
• How are regulatory reforms and financial instruments (e.g. CGV) enabling this trailblazing project?
• How long will it take for Phase 1 projects to deliver, and when/where will we see local participation?

Solar – Africa’s Shining Star

Solar projects on the continent have reached a critical turning point, offering cost-effective and reliable solutions for both utility-scale and C&I markets.

• Are the falling costs of solar fuelling more projects?
• With progress made in combining BESS with solar, will we create a 24/7 energy source?
• What opportunities does C&I solar offer and how bankable are they?

Prospects for Data Centres in Africa’s Energy Ecosystem

How data centres are changing Africa’s energy investment landscape.

• Is this growing demand attracting new investments into the sector?
• Will data centres put too much pressure on the continent’s grids so they will have to stay off-grid?
• What opportunities are emerging for solution providers?
• How can we avoid diverting focus and resources away from other electrification efforts?

Building Large-Scale Pit-to-Port Infrastructure

Unlocking Africa’s mineral wealth requires significant investment in large-scale infrastructure to move resources efficiently, connect markets, generate power and attract investments.

• Simandou to Liberty: what are the replicable models?
• What do timelines look like? What is required to meet them in this global race?
• Can infrastructure corridors deliver shared power, water, and logistics infrastructure beyond mining projects?
• What are the next major projects? How do we revive the ones stuck on the drawing board?

Financing Africa’s Gas Infrastructure Deficit

• Identifying key infrastructure investments required to unlock stranded gas and enable reliable power supply.
• Structuring bankable gas-to-power projects through blended finance, DFIs, and private capital.
• Exploring practical tools to mitigate risk to unlock long-term capital deployment.
• Aligning public–private collaboration to accelerate scalable, sustainable delivery.

Innovation South Africa

A series of presentations highlighting different innovative technologies which will help to build South Africa’s
industrialised future, or are South African owned and grown technologies.

Scene Setting Remarks:

Loyiso Tyira, Board Chair, Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), South Africa

BESS: Enhancing Grid Stability and Decreasing Costs

With costs significantly reducing, how are solar, wind, gas and even hydro projects adopting BESS to increase bankability and reliability?

• Does inclusion of BESS impact investor appetite in RE projects?
• Where will we be seeing increased stability due to the use of BESS in 2026/7?
• Hybrid energy systems and balancing different energy solutions onto the grid – the new norm?
• What is the future for battery storage in Africa?

How M300 Compacts Are Channelling FDI into Energy Access and Clean Cooking

We consider how stakeholders can utilise countries’ compacts to accelerate energy access projects.

• Do the compacts provide an investment framework for DFIs and other investors to get behind (e.g. T&D)?
• How are compacts increasing private sector mobilisation to accelerate the rate of energy access projects?
• How will delivering the compacts mobilise more investment into clean cooking?

Financing Infrastructure Projects Behind Critical Minerals

inancing large-scale infrastructure for critical minerals requires projects to move quickly from concept to bankability, while managing risk across complex delivery timelines.

• What’s the new blueprint for funding $10bn corridors?
• How can projects reach financial close within timelines that preserve bankability?
• Where do deals typically break down, and how do we fix it?
• How do we mitigate sovereign risk for private investors?
• DFIs, blended finance, Political Risk Insurance: are they the solution?

Unlocking Africa’s Grid Investment: The Independent Transmission Opportunity

Transmission bottlenecks are constraining generation uptake and cross-border power trade, making innovative private-sector models increasingly essential.

• Global overview of the IPT model e.g. Asia and Latin America.
• Lessons from Kenya’s landmark IPT PPP.
• How can IPT unlock private capital for transmission without increasing sovereign debt?
• Which markets and policy reforms are needed to replicate the model in Africa?
• How can African governments, DFIs and investors collaborate to scale transmission investment?

Scene setting presentation: 

Moshood Abolade, Investment Director, Africa50 Group

SAREM Now: Procurement Reform, Trade Policy Review and New Approaches to Bid Windows

This roundtable session will look at how reforms in public procurement legislation, trade policy, and bid window design are reshaping the enabling environment for SAREM.

Hosted by: 

Department of Electricity and Energy, Republic of South Africa

SWFs and Pension Funds Potential to Close Africa’s Energy Gap

The value of the current strategic shift by local capital towards RE, early-stage capital and infrastructure debt funds.

• With partnerships like Ithmar Capital and NSIA creating new investment platforms, can sufficient capital be mobilised to address Africa’s infrastructure and energy deficits?
• How are tools like local currency financing and CGVs making projects more attractive to traditionally conservative pension funds?
• What role can SWFs and Pension Funds play in reducing reliance on external financing while boosting global investor sentiment?

How Wind Energy is Powering the Energy Transition

Wind offers a huge opportunity for Africa to achieve energy access targets.

• Why has installed capacity grown significantly on the continent?
• How should the continent exploit Africa’s vast untapped wind resources?
• How will T&D investment and BESS affordability impact wind power projects?
• Is offshore now a viable option to power Africa’s increasing need for export port facilities?

The Captive and Embedded Power Trilemma: Reliability, Cost, and Bankability

Massive offtakers (mining operations, desalination projects, data centres) require 24/7 “five-nines” reliability.

• With renewable captive solutions (solar, wind and hydro) becoming cheaper, when are offtakers still relying on gas or diesel for baseload stability?
• How deregulated markets have resulted in increased investment.
• Where are the opportunities for developers and what makes projects bankable?
• Laying foundations for future offtakers, including the growing
  role of de-salination plants across the continent.

Powering Africa’s Mineral Gateways: Rail, Ports, and Digital Corridors

This session examines the integrated solutions required to transform Africa’s ports and rail from mineral corridors into resilient trade gateways.

• How can public–private partnerships accelerate rail and logistics modernisation while creating bankable investments?
• How do we develop corridors that attract capital and strengthen regional supply chains?
• Can AI and smart systems optimize rail, port, and logistics coordination across the supply chain?
• How can a corridor’s energy system also power surrounding communities and industry?

Scene Setting Remarks:

Ambassador John Giordano, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia

Making Projects Bankable and Unlocking Transmission at Scale – A Risk Advisors View…

• Context on energy infrastructure and the need for transmission
• What are the risk and insurance considerations for large scale Transmission?
• What is transferable into the insurance market and what is not; and why not?
• What products and solutions are being created to keep pace with the requirements of developers and lenders?

Reforming Utilities Holistically for Industrial Growth – What’s Needed to Succeed?

This is an invitation-only roundtable for the listed Heads of Utilities only. This is designed to foster a deeper dialogue among sector leaders.

French – English Translation

NB: Topics, times and speakers may be subject to change as the agenda develops.

10:00-11:00
M300 Energy Compact Deep Dive – Gabon

11:00-11:20 Networking Coffee

11:20-12:20
M300 Energy Compact Deep Dive – Central African Republic

12:20-13:20 Networking Lunch

13:20-14:20
M300 Energy Compact Deep Dive – Djibouti

14:20-15:20
M300 Energy Compact Deep Dive – Cabo Verde

15:20-16:20
M300 Energy Compact Deep Dive – Rwanda

16:20-16:35 Project Signing (TBC)

16:35-17:00 Networking Coffee

17:00-18:00
M300 Energy Compact Deep Dive – Uganda

Southern Africa – Fireside Chats on the Latest Trends in the Region

A series of intimate discussions between an interviewer and a special guest to provide you with unique insights on topics of the day.

French – English Translation

09:00-09:20

Fireside Chat 1

Special Guest: 

H.E. Honourable Samantha Graham-Marè, Deputy Minister of Electricity & Energy, South Africa

Interviewer:

Rentia van Tonder, Head of Power, Corporate & Investment Banking, Standard Bank

09:25-09:45

Fireside Chat 2

Special Guest:

H.E. Honourable Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, Minister of Minerals & Energy, Botswana

Interviewer:

Zandile Hlatywayo, Director of Strategy & Innovation, Allied Talent Partners

09:50-10:10

Fireside Chat 3

Special guest:

Ephraim Munshifwa, PS, Energy, Ministry of Energy, Zambia

Interviewer:

John Smelcer, Chief Development Officer, Globeleq

Offtake Structures in a Liberalising Market

How are PPAs impacted by an increasingly diverse energy buyers’ landscape?

• How are investors moving from single-buyer utility models to multi-buyer private and merchant models?
• Can these changes halt the current “race for them bottom” on tariffs?
• How could reforms like SAWEM in South Africa transform future PPAs and will they impact those already in place?

Scene Setting Remarks:
James Mackay, CEO, Energy Council of South Africa

Mining as a Catalyst for Energy Security

To turn mineral wealth into national power, Africa must leverage industrial demand to build the transmission backbone that will secure its energy future.

• How does mining demand drive investments to building regional interconnectors? Lessons from Angola-DRC-Zambia & the Vunumoya MTS in South Africa
• Rising to the challenge of meeting C&I energy needs in rural locations: How do we turn remote mega-projects into national grid assets?
• How can energy expansion strengthen energy security without increasing pressure on already scarce water resources?

Scene Setting Remarks:

Mike Teke, Group CEO, Seriti Resources

Beyond Generation: Technology as the Next Investment Opportunity in Southern Africa’s New Energy System

• As renewable costs fall and generation scales, where does the next wave of value creation sit – and why does evidence point to the systems and intelligence layer rather than generation assets alone?
• What grid investment, trading technology, and market design are required to make a
  liberalising Southern African energy market work at its full potential – and who are the right partners to deliver it?
• How do we make the software, flexibility, electrified products and grid-adjacent assets underpinning a smart energy system as attractive to investors as generation – and what does a compelling investment case look like?

West Africa – Fireside Chats on the Latest Trends in the Region

A series of intimate discussions between an interviewer and a special guest to provide you with unique insights on topics of the day.

French – English Translation

10:45-11:05

Fireside Chat 1

11:10-11:30

Fireside Chat 2

Damilola Hamid Balogun, Co-founder & CEO, Youth Sustainable Development Network and Clean Energy Adoption Lead, Powering Lagos SMEs

11:35-11:55

Fireside Chat 3

Interviewer:

Kitanha Toure, Regional Director, West Africa, Swedfund

Africa’s Power Pools’ Growing Influence on Regional Integration and Energy Security

Power pools are facilitating regional energy trading, transmission development and unlocking new RE generation.

• How are power pools facilitating increased volumes of energy being traded across their networks?
• How are power pools supporting multiple offtake structures to make projects more bankable?
• What is the latest in interconnecting the power pools and how will tools like RTIFF derisk projects and encourage regional power trade and broader liberalisation?

Critical Minerals to Accelerate Renewable Energy Projects

Mining-driven power demand can accelerate investment in renewable energy projects, lowering operational costs while supporting broader industrial development.

• How is mining and industrial demand fast-tracking solar, wind and BESS development?
• How are renewables lowering operational costs while supporting the energy transition
  and strenghthening water security?
• Lessons from Zambia’s 430 MW Solar-Wind Hybrid Project & DRC Nzilo II project: how mining demand enables massive renewables build-out

Bridge Power Nuclear — Gas-to-SMR for Fast-Track Affordable African Baseload

USP&E’s Bridge Power Nuclear platform sets out a pathway from today’s gas-fired baseload to zero-carbon SMR-powered baseload for African utilities, mines and industrials:

• Why a gas-to-SMR “bridge” can deliver affordable baseload within 5–7 years
• How the same site, grid, and O&M team can transition from gas to nuclear, protecting CapEx and accelerating financial close
• Key financing and regulatory enablers, including DFI support and offtake structures
• USP&E engagements across Mali, Togo, Liberia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and
  the USA, and how partners can co-develop first-mover projects

East Africa – Fireside Chats on the Latest Trends in the Region

A series of intimate discussions between an interviewer and a special guest to provide you with unique insights on topics of the day.

French – English Translation

13:30-13:50

Fireside Chat 1

Interviewer:

Obbie Banda, Senior Underwriter & RLSF Coordinator, ATIDI

13:55-14:15

Fireside Chat 2

Interviewer:

Lucy Chege, Associate Executive, Project & Infrastructure Finance Department, TDB

14:20-14:40

Fireside Chat 3

Special Guest: 

Kefa Seda, Director General, Public Private Partnership Directorate, Ministry of Treasury & Planning, Kenya

Scaling Power Markets Through Secondary Asset Markets

This growing market in South Africa is attracting long-term institutional capital and allowing capital to be recycled into new projects.

• How the secondary asset sales market completes the energy ecosystem and offers a structured exit to free up capital for the next wave of projects.
• Why is secondary asset investment attractive to PE firms, pension funds and other long-term institutional investors?
• How can secondary transactions help scale African power markets by recycling capital and broadening the investor base?
• What capacity is there for an African market outside of South Africa and what lessons can be learnt from Europe and India?

Powering Downstream Mining Capacity in Africa

To compete in the global critical minerals race and promote industrialisation, Africa must power its downstream mining capacity.

• How can mining/industrial hubs and reliable energy infrastructure make the mining sector more competitive while supporting regional development?
• How can local processing deliver greater value addition and long-term benefits for local communities?
• The Circular Economy – how can managing energy and water facilities increase efficiency and lower associated refining costs

Unlocking Investment in Clean Captive Energy for C&I Sectors in Sub-Saharan
Africa

• Understand how CICSA’s Call for Proposals will crowd in investment to scale C&I clean energy
• Discuss what policy frameworks will unlock and sustain investment in captive energy solutions
• Experience firsthand outcomes and lessons from CICSA Phase I pilots
• Engage directly with the teams behind the Initiative and connect with other
  innovators and entrepreneurs driving the future of sustainable energy systems in Africa

Hosted by:

UNEP

North Africa – Fireside Chats on the Latest Trends in the Region

A series of intimate discussions between an interviewer and a special guest to provide you with unique insights on topics of the day.

French – English Translation

15:15-15:35

Fireside Chat 1

Interviewer:

Ahmed Mulla, Deputy CEO, Infinity Power

15:40-16:00

Fireside Chat 2

Interviewer:

Cornelius Matthes, CEO, Dii Desert Energy

16:05-16:25

Fireside Chat 3

Closed Door High Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals

This is an invitation-only roundtable that will convene senior African public sector officials and high-level representatives from mining companies.

French – English Translation

Powering Regional Integration: Energy Security, Network Infrastructure and Trade Integration across Africa

Reforming Energy Regulatory Structures for Industrial Growth – What’s Needed to Succeed?

This is an invitation-only roundtable for the listed Heads of Regulators only. This is designed to foster a deeper dialogue among sector leaders.

French – English Translation

NB: Topics, times and speakers may be subject to change as the agenda develops.

Hear success stories from YES! Alumni and be blown away!

Hosted by: TBA

How Has Recent Geopolitics Impacted International Attitudes to Gas? 

We consider how current conflicts and the shift in foreign policy objectives have influenced Africa’s gas project options.

• How to build confidence in the gas sector given movements over the last ten years
• Will the resurgence of gas projects impact investments in clean energy solutions such as solar, wind and hydro?
• Gas can supercharge industrialisation and energy access – can this potential ever be realised?

Energy Trading – Transforming Africa’s Energy Market

Energy traders are plugging a gap for creditworthy offtakers, transforming how power is financed, distributed and consumed.

• Energy traders as service and risk partners for C&I.
• Are mining companies the ‘golden ticket’ for energy traders or do they need to take a wider view?
• What are the ‘rules of the road’ emerging from trader-backed projects?
• How the rise of energy traders presents a double-edged sword for public utilities

Interactive Workshop

Interactive Workshop

Interactive Workshop

Realising AI to Achieve Revenue, Grid Resilience and Energy Access

We deep dive into how AI is being used to leapfrog traditional energy hurdles.

• Are smart meter analytics resulting in accurate tracking to improve revenue protection for cash-strapped utilities?
• How successful has AI technology been for predictive maintenance and preventing outages?
• How is M300 leveraging AI to manage ‘digital loads’ and make mini-grids more profitable?

Harnessing Hydropower to Meet Energy Demand

The continent possesses immense hydropower potential – we look at recent progress achieved.

• Is the opportunity for hydro in Africa in today’s current energy mix raising or waning?
• How are the large-scale hydro projects coming online successfully evacuating the power?
• How has the strategy shifted from building massive dams to creating resilient, hybrid systems that can withstand climate change?
• How can technology be applied to improve water management and efficiency?

Examining the ‘Risk Gap’

Initiatives like M300 are attempting to ‘flip the script’ on investment into the continent.

• Perceived Risk vs. Actual Investment Performance.
• Can compacts provide much needed predictability for investors?
• How impactful are blended finance and guarantees in derisking investments?
• How successfully can local currency financing and permanent capital investment vehicles, like Zafiri, attract investment?