Speaking at the recent Africa Energy Indaba in Cape Town, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe said that Africa should be a global trail blazer on renewable energy. This continent has all the minerals required, he said, to drive meaningful development quickly. But to unleash this potential in our energy resources we require international cooperation.
We need programmes to enable economic exploitation, beneficiation, and exportation. Investment in research and development, and technology, is an imperative, if we are to grow, develop and compete globally. National and continent-wide private financial and investment sectors must play a role in these initiatives, the minister added.
Referring to his vision of “the Africa we want”, Minister Mantashe said that Africa needs environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient economies and communities to succeed. He added that while delegates present were committed to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, individual African countries, with minimal resources, were suffering the devastating consequences of climate change.
Mantashe said that we need to continuously share ideas on how we can collectively accelerate Africa’s energy sector development to be at the core of all socio-economic development, and of continental growth and development. Africa must define its own just energy transition to empower and enable the continent to grow, he added.
Africa Energy Indaba 2022 was packed with invaluable insights and opinions which could shape the future of the continent’s energy landscape. The event was hosted as a hybrid event in Cape Town from 1 to 3 March and comprised a physical in-person exhibition under Covid-19 conditions and a virtual conference.
The Africa Energy Indaba enabled a vast number of attendees, both in-person and virtually, to assemble, learn, network, and exchange insights pertaining to the dynamic realm of the African energy sector. For the first time since 2020, the energy sector came together to attend this most notable African event and the exhilaration over the reunion was pulpable.
Cape Town’s mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, representing the host city partner of the event, welcomed speakers, delegates, exhibitors and visitors to the Indaba. He underscored the importance of energy security and the city’s plans to realise this as quickly and sustainably as possible – especially as residents continued to suffer power outages due to unreliable, unsustainable, and unaffordable electricity. He stated that renewable energy sourced from Independent Power Producers was at the core of Cape Town’s strategy in its quest to minimise the impact on climate change. In this respect Cape Town was clearly a leading player in the national climate effort, Hill-Lewis said.
Participants made intensive use of the three-day conference to advance future projects, share information, establish new and maintain existing networks. Speakers and luminaries from the energy landscape gathered to discuss, debate, and pursue lasting solutions to enable adequate energy supply across the continent. Expert advice and insights were imparted concerning the opportunities available in the just transition to sustainable energy systems with the expectation of addressing the challenge of energy poverty.
The conference covered highly relevant topics of energy policy and the role of government, energy funding, green hydrogen, grid technologies, renewable and cleaner energy, energy storage, energy for transport and energy efficiency. Further, the event served as the ideal platform to not only unite the African energy sector but demonstrate cutting-edge innovation, thereby providing a stage for knowledge transfer and business opportunities for industry stakeholders.
Hosting world-class industry organisations, the energy exhibition demonstrated its commitment to providing the solutions Africa requires to meet its growing energy demands. The exhibition proved especially valuable to enterprises wishing to showcase solutions for the benefit of Africa. Moreover, because of the hybrid functionality, exhibitors were presented with the opportunity to promote their companies to business counterparts, global investors, buyers, and governments worldwide.
The event fostered essential communication among energy stakeholders, providing them with access to relevant networks. Furthermore, attendees were not only exposed to industry trends and emerging technologies, but also content and ideas which will ultimately empower individuals and energy enterprises to thrive in this intensely competitive sector.
The next Africa Energy Indaba is scheduled to be held from 7 to 9 March 2023. Its theme will be “African energy transitioning to a sustainable and prosperous future”
Click here for more information on next year's Africa Energy Indaba event
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