One of the continent’s most anticipated and biggest energy conference, the Africa Energy Conference, starts today at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra.
The maiden edition focuses on highlighting the infrastructure gap, financing options and energy transition opportunities in the Africa energy sector and will be held under the theme, Africa’s energy future – achieving an all-round competitiveness and sustainability to support the continent’s development ambitions.
The one-day conference is a strategic platform powered by the Business & Financial Times Limited (B&FT) and supported by GCB Bank, Sethi Brothers Ghana Limited, Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST), Volta River Authority (VRA), Arthur Energy Partners and Nuclear Power Ghana.
It will feature keynote addresses and panel sessions comprising of seasoned industry experts from around the continent such as Kwaku Awotwi, former Managing Director of Tullow Ghana and Executive Vice-President of Tullow Plc, Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, Chief Executive of VRA, Edwin Provencal, Managing Director of BOST and Dr. Kelvin Kemn, Chief Executive Officer of South Africa-based Stratek Business Strategy Consultants.
Others are: Dr. Nii Darko Asante, an energy consultant and former Technical Director at Energy Commission; Dr. Theophilus Acheampong, an energy economist and political risk analyst; Harriet Amissah-Arthur, Executive Partner and Co-Founder of Arthur Energy Partners; Winnie Ndubai, Director, Strategy and Planning at Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board; Dr. Michael Tuffour of University of Environment and Sustainable Development and; David Osofu-Dorte, Senior Partner at AB and David, a law firm.
The rest include: Kwame Jantuah, a legal practitioner and Energy Sector Head, Association of Ghana Industries; Daniel A. Wordson of Nuclear Power Ghana; Executive Director of Kumasi Institute of Technology and Environment, Ishmael Edjekumhene; Franklin Nana Addai, a legal practitioner; and Sophia Abena Tijani, an energy consultant.
Together, these experts and industry players would proffer solutions on how governments and the private sector can access financing to bridge the sector’s infrastructure gap, achieve lower emissions and energy transition targets in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Identifying opportunities and ensuring not just effective exploitation but, efficient use of the continent’s fossil resources, as well as positioning the continent to be an active participant in the global renewable energy drive, are among some of the topics to be discussed.
Equally important, will be how various African governments and the private sector can pursue strategic and home-grown policies which have the propensity to stimulate energy sufficiency and efficiency and ultimately, economic growth.
It is expected that their expert insights and ideas would culminate into comprehensive energy sector policies and strategies to effectively govern and ensure coordinated investments and sustained growth of the sector.
