Africa Energy Expo and Leadership Summit organizers
An inaugural pan-African Energy Expo and Leadership Summit will be launched this year in Kigali City bringing together African leaders to discuss African based energy solutions, solicit investments and funding, officials said.
The Africa Energy Expo and Leadership Summit organised by Informa Markets in collaboration with the Rwanda ministry of Infrastructure, will be held from November 4-6, 2024 and is expected to be attended by 2000 people.
According to the organisers, the energy event will be a collective African event and a single platform to have an African conversation on energy gaps.
“We have other conversations in Europe and America but how are they inclusive of African energy needs? “We want this summit to be in Africa by Africans for Africans. Our problems of Africa have to be solved in Africa not in Europe,” said Ade Yesufu, the Informa Markets Exhibition Director- Energy.
Yesufu made the remarks during a pre-Africa energy expo press briefing held in Kigali this August 7, aimed at highlighting expectations of the event that will be held for the first time on the continental level.
Informa Markets has organised Energy Expos which have previously been held in some African countries (in Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt) but as isolated country-focused expos.
Yesufu said that with this experience, this time around, they have stepped up the magnitude of the event to go continental, and specifically choose Rwanda for the event.
Ade Yesufu
“There is no true pan- African event with a pan- african element. That is why we are launching the Africa energy expo in Rwanda as a perfect place to do so,” Yesufu said.
He explained that: “Choosing Rwanda was because it is a fast growing economy, very good at doing business and the government is very supportive,”
The energy expo will put its focus on encouraging entrepreneurship in the energy sector with an Entrepreneurship Forum that will also be technical and open for developing skills, investment and partnerships.
The leadership summit will target African leaders and energy investors and gurus in all value- chains in the energy sector to discuss African-led investments, policy reforms needed.
What are the benefits for Rwanda?
Jean Bosco Mugiraneza, the Director General in charge of Energy Directorate, Ministry of Infrastructure said there are 600 million Africans without electricity in Africa and while Rwanda has made an 80% access, the country will benefit from the event to attract more investments, and equipment suppliers to address remaining gaps.
Jean Bosco Mugiraneza
“The expo will be key because we see the lack of funds as a major gap in Rwanda but also lack equipment and its timely delivery. We have a gap in skills and capacity and most of the projects are implemented by foreigners and need to improve this,” Mugiraneza said.
Event organisers said the expo and summit will also bring in big investors, buyers from across Africa and global organisations like the World Bank to discuss solutions.
Officials of the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), who solicited the event said that Rwanda has the infrastructure and capacity to host big meetings and the expo will be one of them to attract more tourism and incomes for Rwandans in the hospitality sector.
