Scaling-Up a sustainable electrification in Africa, for Africa with Africa. Side Event RES4Africa – Towards G7 Energy

Session 2: Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa's most pressing priority is its imperative for sustainable socio-economic development. African countries have an urgent and immense need to accelerate economic growth, develop multiple infrastructures, create jobs, and expand access to services in order to improve livelihoods across the continent.
Africa’s demand for energy will increase rapidly in the near future: clean energy production and electrification will play a central role in delivering that demand and all efforts directed to support the development of such infrastructures in Africa align with strategies meant to support Africa’s socio-economic growth - especially from clean energy sources.
To overcome the continent’s key energy challenges, long term action on three priority areas will be needed to deliver sustainable electrification in Africa. Any scenario will require to:

• Reach quickly universal access to reliable and competitive modern energy,
• Invest in climate resilient and compatible modern power infrastructure, both on generation side and in transmission and distribution,
• Support green industrialization policy strategy taking into account the role of local human capital growth and of critical minerals resources.

The two days event will underline the key priorities to be addressed and the key challenges to be faced in the field of renewable energy solutions, infrastructures, storage systems, hydrogen and digitalization.

Programma

10:00 – 10:30     Registration

10:30 – 11:00     OPENING REMARKS
Roberto Vigotti, Secretary General Res4Africa

KEY NOTE SPEECHES – Sub-Saharan energy priorities
Darlain Edeme, Africa Energy Specialist IEA
Rudi Dicks, Head of Project Management Office - Presidency of the Democratic Republic of South Africa

11:00 – 12:30     PANEL - The future of Power Infrastructure in Sub Saharan Africa

Moderator: Antonio Nodari, VP AFRY Management Consulting

Panellists:
Yohannes Hailu, Private Sector Development and Finance Division UNECA
Tamsir Ndiaye, General Director ANER Senegal*
Rached Daghfous, Directeur Général de STEG International Services
Olga Utchavo, Director for Renewable Energies Electricidade de Moçambique
Luca Matrone, Global Head of Energy Intesa San Paolo Bank
Dominique Llonch, President of NIDEC Industrial Solutions

12:30 – 13:00     CLOSING REMARKS

* Invited speaker TBC