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Powering Africa Summit

Powering the US-Africa Partnership
Energy Infrastructure · Critical Minerals · Investment Strategies

Speakers

120 Speakers Confirmed to Date

When

19 - 20 March 2026

Where

JW Marriott Washington D.C.

Washington D.C., USA

Energy News Network Events Powering Africa Summit

Powering Africa Summit 2026

JW Marriott Washington D.C.

The 11th Powering Africa Summit 2026 took place in Washington, D.C. from 19-20 March 2026. Held annually in the U.S. capital, the two-day Summit connects U.S. government initiatives with African energy leaders and private-sector investors, advancing commercially driven partnerships across the continent.

Under the theme: Powering the US–Africa Partnership: Energy Infrastructure – Critical Minerals – Investment Strategies, PAS 2026 set a clear, project-focused tone. Opening remarks from Summit Sponsor Sun Africa, alongside Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) and African Ministers, underscored a shift toward delivery – with large-scale infrastructure, financing mechanisms and bankable projects at the centre of the partnership.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright returned as Guest of Honour, delivering a keynote speech and joining a fireside chat with Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation. Their discussion focused on energy access and clean cooking, alongside the role of government reform, philanthropy and public-private partnerships in tackling energy poverty.

Building on the 10th anniversary of PAS in 2025, PAS 2026 examined how U.S. foreign policy is evolving toward investment-led commercial diplomacy – assessing what has been delivered over the past year, what has shifted, and what this means for investors, developers and governments working to scale Africa’s energy systems.

Sponsors

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Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery

Spotlight on…

Adam Cortese Interview | Powering Africa Summit (PAS)
Leadership

Adam Cortese Interview | Powering Africa Summit (PAS)

Akinwole II Omoboriowo Interview | Powering Africa Summit (PAS)
Leadership

Akinwole II Omoboriowo Interview | Powering Africa Summit (PAS)

Andrew Herscowitz Interview | Powering Africa Summit (PAS)
Leadership

Andrew Herscowitz Interview | Powering Africa Summit (PAS)

Kimberly Heimert Interview | Powering Africa Summit (PAS)
Leadership

Kimberly Heimert Interview | Powering Africa Summit (PAS)

Raza Hasnani Interview | Powering Africa Summit (PAS)
Grids

Raza Hasnani Interview | Powering Africa Summit (PAS)

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

Chris Wright | Keynote Address | Powering Africa Summit (PAS) 2025

The only goal of energy is to expand human opportunity. Make us live longer. Healthier. More opportunities for us and our kids. Increase food security. Increase heating security.

Chris Wright U.S. Secretary of Energy

Partnership, collaboration, operation, is the name of the game. For anybody, in any country or internationally who want to move very fast… we have to move together.

Africa is a continent where energy isn’t a luxury, but a launchpad – for jobs, for tech, for a middle class that rivals the world’s best.

Official Media

Powering Africa Summit News

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 […]
Leadership

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. […]
Finance

Advancing U.S.–Africa Infrastructure Partnerships: Insights from USTDA’s Deputy Director Tom Hardy

As the United States sharpens its focus on global infrastructure, energy security, and critical supply chains, Africa is emerging as a central partner in that strategy. In this interview, Tom Hardy, USTDA Deputy Director performing the duties of Director, shares how the Agency is prioritizing key African markets and sectors, de-risking transformative projects, and accelerating […]
Energy access

Powering Africa’s Megacity: Lagos State’s Vision for Energy Leadership and a 24/7 Economy

As Africa’s largest sub-national economy and one of the world’s fastest-growing megacities, Lagos State is rethinking how electricity is planned, regulated and delivered. With a population exceeding 25 million and an economy that rivals those of entire countries, the state’s ambitions—industrial growth, digital expansion, improved public services and climate resilience—depend on one critical enabler: reliable […]
Transmission & Distribution

Amari Power Transmission becomes first Independent Transmission Project in Africa to reach financial close

Gridworks has reached financial close on the US$50m Amari Power Transmission project (“Amari”) in Uganda, marking a major landmark for the project and for electricity infrastructure investment on the continent. Amari is the first Independent Transmission Project (“ITP”) to reach this milestone. The project has been developed by Gridworks in close collaboration with the Government […]
News

5 Minutes with NERSA Chairperson Thembani Bukula

Thembani Bukula, Chairperson of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), shares insights in this rapid-fire discussion on the regulatory shifts reshaping South Africa’s electricity sector. As the country accelerates reforms – from unbundling transmission and redefining market structures to enabling private generation and addressing grid constraints – NERSA sits at the centre of […]
News

Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance Invest More Than US$100 Million To Expand Electricity in Africa

Mission 300 commitment has grown from US$10 million to US$100 million over past 19 months Strengthening delivery capacity, mobilizing private investment, accelerating project pipelines, and advancing Mission 300 efforts in nearly two dozen countries WASHINGTON, D.C. | March 19, 2026 —At the Powering Africa Summit in Washington, D.C., The Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (“Global […]

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