Exciting 2-day programme

Day Two Opening Ceremony

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Trading Electrons: Aggregation, Cross-Border Wheeling, and the New Era of Private Power Markets in Africa

As electricity markets across Africa continue to liberalise, a new generation of private power transactions is emerging. Corporate offtakers, energy traders, aggregators, and independent power producers are increasingly seeking to buy and sell electricity across utility service territories and national borders, unlocking new pathways for investment and energy access. This session explores the rise of aggregation, wheeling, and cross-border power trading as key enablers of Africa's evolving electricity markets. Discussions will examine the regulatory reforms, market structures, transmission access frameworks, and digital trading platforms needed to facilitate private power markets at scale. The session will also assess how regional power pools can support greater competition, improve energy security, and accelerate renewable energy deployment by enabling electrons to flow more freely across the continent.

Beyond Wires: Making Transmission an Investable Asset Class in Africa

As Africa's power markets evolve, transmission infrastructure is no longer just a public-sector responsibility—it is becoming a critical investment opportunity. The rapid growth of renewable energy, regional power trading, corporate power procurement, and cross-border wheeling is creating new demand for transmission assets that can unlock value across entire energy systems. This session explores how Africa can transform transmission from a traditionally state-funded network into a bankable infrastructure asset class capable of attracting private capital at scale. Discussions will examine emerging business models including transmission PPPs, concession structures, availability-based payments, grid infrastructure funds, and regional transmission corridors that support power trading across African power pools.

From DERs to Virtual Power Plants: The New Distribution-Level Asset Class

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are rapidly evolving from standalone energy solutions into interconnected, intelligent networks capable of supporting entire power systems. Across Africa, rooftop solar, battery storage, smart EV charging, flexible industrial loads, and microgrids are being aggregated into virtual power plants (VPPs) that can deliver capacity, flexibility, and grid services at scale. This session explores how DERs are transforming from customer-side assets into active participants in electricity markets. Discussions will examine emerging business models around aggregation, demand response, energy management platforms, and grid services, as well as the regulatory and market reforms needed to unlock their full value.

Scaling Dispatchable Renewable Energy for Mining: From Hybrid Power Systems to Critical Mineral Value Chains in Africa

Africa’s mining sector has moved past standalone solar arrays into a sophisticated era of integrated hybrid energy networks. Driven by the need for continuous power to support local refining and processing, mining operations are deploying mature solar, wind, and utility-scale battery configurations capable of delivering reliable, 24/7 dispatchable power that rivals traditional grids and diesel generation. At the same time, Africa’s reserves of critical minerals—such as copper, cobalt, lithium, and PGMs—are central to the global energy transition. This reality is forging a direct link between how a mine is powered and the market value of its commodities, where low-carbon, energy-secure footprints increasingly dictate access to international finance and competitive offtake agreements. This session explores how dispatchable renewables and hybrid power networks are transforming African mining infrastructure. Industry experts will analyze the evolving project-finance models backing firm renewable energy delivery, the economic integration of large-scale storage, and how decentralized power assets are enabling localized mineral value addition. This panel outlines how African mining is evolving from a diesel-dependent sector into a core driver of regional industrialization.

Winds of Realignment: Scaling Africa’s New Wind Corridors and High-Yield Industrial Markets

Africa’s wind landscape is rapidly diversifying beyond traditional hotspots. In 2026, the continent’s wind narrative is being rewritten by two massive drivers: the aggressive push for multi-gigawatt green hydrogen corridors in Namibia, Mauritania, and Morocco, and the rise of decentralized, industrial-driven wind portfolios across Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, translating these massive pipelines into operational reality requires navigating steep grid constraints, evolving wheeling frameworks, and complex multi-buyer offtake structures. This session goes beyond theoretical potential to analyze the commercial mechanics of Africa's frontier wind projects. Panelists will unpack how secondary markets are leveraging corporate C&I demand and hybrid asset modeling (such as wind-hydro and wind-solar-storage) to bypass weak national utilities, and how the world’s largest green hydrogen developers are restructuring megaprojects to ensure local industrial value addition.

From EV Adoption to Infrastructure Platforms: Structuring Africa’s Electric Mobility Investment Landscape

Africa’s e-mobility sector is moving from early adoption to a structured investment landscape centred on scalable infrastructure. Electric two- and three-wheelers, delivery fleets, and ride-hailing still lead deployment, but the market is shifting toward integrated systems combining vehicles, charging or battery-swapping networks, and energy supply. This evolution redefines e-mobility as an asset-backed infrastructure opportunity, supported by fleet aggregation, battery leasing, mobility-as-a-service, and decentralised renewable-powered charging. These maturing models show improved revenue predictability, asset utilisation, and institutional capital pathways. However, fragmented infrastructure, regulatory inconsistency, currency risk, and grid constraints in secondary cities still shape the pace of scale-up. The session explores how Africa’s e-mobility ecosystem is becoming investable infrastructure—examining financing structures, the role of fleet operators and energy providers, and where investors are finding viable risk-adjusted returns across diverse markets.

Closing VIP Cocktail Function (By Invitation Only)