EnergyNet Ltd has announced a partnership with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) for the 25th Africa Energy Forum (AEF) and Youth Energy Summit (YES!).
The events are scheduled to take place in Nairobi, Kenya from the 20th to the 23rd of June 2023 at the Kenya International Convention Centre and marks the first time the AEF will be held in mainland Africa.
“We are excited to bring governments, utilities and regulators together with development finance institutions, commercial banks, power developers, technology providers, and professional services once again,” said Simon Gosling, Managing Director, EnergyNet.
“And the commitment which was reiterated at the press conference today by the Kenyan Ministry of Energy to form an intergovernmental task force to ensure maximum impact for the people of Kenya sets the tone for what will take place in Nairobi this June,” he added.
Under the theme ‘Africa for Africa’, this year’s agenda will focus on several strategic areas including mining, hydrogen, connectivity, and the ‘Just Transition’, all from the perspective of advancing projects, partnerships, and business development.
“KEPSA has 100,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise entrepreneurs as members. The guiding principle of the YES! Entrepreneurs is that they are established, and energy access is an inhibitor to their business growth. We aim to engage 1,000 of the 100,000 members with a view to equipping over 100 entrepreneurs with world class energy solutions,” said Mr. Victor Ogalo, KEPSA Deputy CEO.
With this partnership we are also excited at the prospect of working with local universities to collaborate with both educators and students with regards to best practice around the world and new innovations in the energy and extractives space,” added Ogalo.
YES! will welcome over 1,000 participants, including early career professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and educators, to boost the skills, connections, and business readiness of a new generation of African energy leaders.
YES! is partnering with universities across Africa to bring students and educators to Nairobi to engage in dialogue, so graduates know what to expect and are better prepared for today’s fast-moving workforce.
“YES! has ambitious goals to accelerate access to reliable energy on the African continent, but we realize that we cannot accomplish this alone,” said Mr. Gosling,
“This is why we’re bringing the energy industry’s biggest actors from both the public and private sectors to facilitate relationships and learn together about how tomorrow’s technology will ultimately change how we communicate and develop business in the coming years,” he added.
Additionally, attendees at the AEF which will take place alongside YES! will have access to stakeholders and decision-makers from across the continent and around the world.
They will also be able to take part in high-level panel discussions, interactive workshops, and talks that range across a wide selection of themes and issues, including increasing the pace and scale of renewables in Africa, breaking down barriers to energy transition in mining, and Africa’s path to becoming a global hydrogen powerhouse.
The event provides unmatched networking functions, offering attendees fantastic opportunities to engage with one another, share insights, and explore new financing structures in what can only be described as the world’s biggest investor opportunity – Africa. On average, investors from 82 countries attend AEF.
By Hamdi Mohamud
