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Africa Energy Forum Opens in Cape Town with Bold Call for Continental Unity
Cape Town — The 27th Africa Energy Forum (AEF) launched today with a powerful message of unity and urgency, as continental leaders declared that Africa's energy crisis requires immediate action and unprecedented cooperation to address the needs of 600 million people living without electricity.
Amadou Hott, former Special Envoy of the President of the African Development Bank for the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa, delivered a keynote that crystallized the forum's central theme. 'Energy is everything. Without abundant, reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy, we have no transformation,' he said. Amadou Hott, former Special Envoy of the President of the African Development Bank for the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa
Hott spoke of energy's significance in building Africa's future, asserting: 'Actually, we have no future without energy.'
Continental integration as solution
Hott outlined an ambitious vision for African energy integration, calling for practical economic unity across the continent.
'Picture this reality: A hydroelectric dam in Kinshasa powers factories in Lusaka. Natural gas from Nigeria's river states fuelling industries in Douala,' he said, pointing out that investors 'pursue scale, stability and simplicity' that only a united Africa can deliver.
The financial challenge is staggering. Africa needs '$250 billion annually by 2030 to meet energy demand,' Hott detailed, with the electricity sector alone requiring '$120 billion annually,' yet the continent receives only 3% of global energy investments despite housing 20% of the world's population.
Lerato Mataboge, African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure & Energy, reinforced the urgency of the crisis. '600 million Africans are currently left without access to electricity,' she said, warning that 'at the current pace of development, 570 million people will still be without access to electricity by 2030.' Lerato Mataboge, African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure & Energy
The human cost extends beyond darkness. Mataboge revealed that 'about 600 thousand women and children die each year in Africa due to inefficient utilisation of biomass,' making energy provision 'a human rights issue' in the African continent.
Political will and private partnership
South Africa's Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, framed the challenge in stark terms: 'Electricity is not a luxury. It is a fundamental and basic human right. It is the oxygen of economic activity, the lifeblood of industrialization.'
Through the Mission 300 initiative, endorsed by the African Union, the continent aims to 'electrify 300 million Africans by 2030.' Ramokgopa recalled that this is 'not a pipeline, it is a political decision,' requiring just '$25 billion per year, equating to less than 1% of global energy investments.' Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, South Africa's Minister of Electricity and Energy
Private sector leader Goran Rajsic of SUN Africa brought a developer's perspective, arguing that 'Africa needs electricity yesterday.' His company is building 400 megawatts of solar capacity in Angola while advocating for a government-owned, contractor-operated model that ensures 'infrastructure must remain sovereign.'
Path forward
The forum will continue through June 20, with leaders recalling that fragmented thinking must give way to integrated, continental solutions. As Hott concluded: 'Let's move decisively from PowerPoint to power plants, from intentions to connections, from fragmented markets to one united, electrified, and economically empowered Africa.'
Tags: Africa Energy ForumAfrica Energy Forum (AEF)Energy in Africa
