The annual AEI conference continues its commitment to energy sustainability through discussion and rigorous debate to identify solutions to expedite adequate energy generation across Africa
Johannesburg, 12 January 2022: The 14th African Energy Indaba Conference (AEI) combines the hybrid model of virtual discussion and debate (1-3 March 2022) with an on-site Exhibition (1-2 March 2022) at the CTICC in Cape Town. The annual AEI conference continues its commitment to energy sustainability through discussion and rigorous debate to identify solutions to expedite adequate energy generation across Africa.
The three conference days cover many illuminating topics, embodying the pertinent themes that ultimately symbolize the surge towards African energy freedom. The Virtual Conference and the physical exhibition at the CTICC in Cape Town include networking and B2B meetings.
Day 1 of the conference underscores the theme of the day, The Great Awakening for the African Energy Sector. During the opening plenary panel, one of the topics discussed at AEI 2022 intends to critically assess the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by providing innovative energy options that will facilitate accessible, reliable, and affordable energy to the entire continent.
The opening plenary panel at AEI 2022 will further elaborate on Africa’s energy vision and the driving elements and factors over the next 25 years. Plenary Panel 1, entitled “Energy Policy – Enabling Energy Transition, Sustainable Communities & Flourishing Businesses,” presents Africa’s potential to create an energy policy that encompasses a low carbon future. The panel will look at how policies promoting energy transition and involving the support mechanisms of micro-and mega-business can help build more sustainable communities through the integration of free trade and cross-border services.
“Moving to a lower-carbon energy system presents a tremendous challenge, and effective policy levers will likely be needed to expedite commercialization of new technologies and to help incentivize investment in these areas. Policy has a key role to play in mitigating risks faced by investors and impacting project costs” (Deloitte, 2021).
Plenary Panel 2 will then discuss “African Off-Grid Potential: A New Business Frontier”. The rapid advancement of energy technology paves the way for new energy providers to compete and decentralise with existing energy providers. Likewise, consumers can consider off-grid solutions and concomitant energy self-sufficiency. Join us at AEI 2022 to explore the potential of the ground breaking frontiers that are rapidly emerging for both suppliers and customers. Still, these advances in off-grid supply options are not without their challenges and risks to existing utilities and businesses.
The third plenary panel headlined “Funding-The Moving Target of Investment Readiness”, aptly named, intends to explore Africa’s substantial investment needs while striving to strike a balance between the continent’s low ability to repay loans, high funding, and investment risk levels. To attain Investment Readiness and for monetary resources to flow to Africa to enable energy businesses to prosper, the discussion needs to address these and other critical factors. In tandem, this analysis needs to include funders’ and investors’ continually fluctuating expectations and criteria.
The global economic crisis experienced by COVID-19 has resulted in a considerable drop in oil prices, with long-term forecasts of a structural oil price collapse. “The Future of Oil and Gas in Africa in the Energy Transition” (Panel 4) will discuss and debate this critical topic considering Africa’s inevitable transition to a lower-carbon future. Investments in oil and gas are speculative and risky, notwithstanding global commitments to reduce carbon emissions under the Paris Agreement, there is a need for countries reliant on oil and gas revenues to diversify their economies.
The 2022 Africa Energy Indaba will discuss many other key aspects which challenge and provide opportunities for the growth of the African energy sector. Register for AEI 2022 as we continue to study and deconstruct these facets of this rapidly expanding market.
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