2-Day Energy Access Investment Forum slated for March 2020 in Lusaka hosted by the Alliance for Rural Electrification
Lusaka, 27 February 2020 – The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) with the support of GET.invest is pleased to announce the convening of its 6th Energy Access Investment Forum (EAIF), the leading multi-stakeholder event on improved energy access at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Lusaka, Zambia from the 18th to 19th March 2020.
EAIF is a well-established political exchange and business event organised by ARE with local and regional partners – aimed at assisting the private and public sector to get up to speed on the latest developments in the off-grid sector and engage in business.
This 2-day event will host more than 200 participants from within and outside Africa. EAIF provides an opportunity for stakeholders to form partnerships that will realise opportunities in localities where energy access is most needed. Hosted last in 2019 in Abidjan, the 6th EAIF to be in held Lusaka will feature more than 50 distinguished panelists and speakers. High-Level guests from the Zambian Government, Delegation of the European Union to Zambia and COMESA are expected to attend. Mr. Stefano Signore, Head of Unit, Sustainable Energy and Climate Change, DG International Cooperation and Development – European Commission is expected to deliver the high-level opening remarks.
Kudakwashe Ndhlukula, Executive Director of SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) said: “The Forum and Partnership formation between SACREEE and ARE will contribute to the implementation of the regional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Strategy and Action Plan (REEESAP) that was adopted in July 2017 by the SADC Ministers responsible for Energy. The two Parties will sign the Memorandum of Understanding at the Forum.”
During the Forum, different opportunities will be presented by key sector players to find business partners and advance projects through the dedicated GET.invest B2B Matchmaking Session on 19th February 2020 as a means to stimulate business cooperation. During the 2020 ARE Awards Ceremony special recognition will also be given to the most innovative actors in the energy access space that have made special contributions to advance the rural electrification sector.
Marcus Wiemann, Executive Director of the Alliance for Rural Electrification and Conference Chair, states that the Forum is: “A meeting point for stakeholders to learn more about cost-effective and high-quality off-grid electrification in Africa and more particularly for Zambia. In the short-term, the off-grid sector will greatly benefit from innovation and digital solutions as an enabler for meaningful socio-economic growth in Africa, Asia-Pacific and LAC. To make “Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE)” a key enabler for this positive development, an intensification of public and private coordination and efforts will be needed to make universal energy happen by 2030.”
To intensify the exchange with players from inside and outside Africa, ARE will also hold its Annual General Meeting in conjunction with the Forum the day before.
TCX, with the support of BMU, the “Bundesministeriums für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit”, is a proud sponsor of the 6th edition of EAIF. Per van Swaay, Senior Vice-President of TCX states: “Our mission for this sector, as it is in any sector that generates local currency revenue, is to promote and facilitate the financing of it with local currency, whether from an in-country source or from abroad. A sector-wide adoption of local currency finance leads to a more resilient and sustainable and better-bankable sector. With our presence at EAIF, we aim to ensure that all market participants are fully and properly informed about the financing choices that they are faced with. We thank ARE for creating this important platform for sector development.”
Happening along the sidelines of the 6th EAIF is the Micro-Grid Academy organised by the RES4Africa Foundation and supported by Enel Foundation – a week-long training course which provides participants with a comprehensive set of skills necessary to successfully design, develop, manage and operate decentralised renewable energy projects.
To cap off the Forum, ARE will also organise an Off-Grid Business Delegation to Mozambique on 22nd to 25th March 2020. Hosted in conjunction with the Renewables in Mozambique 2020 Conference and organised by ALER and AMER; the business delegates will learn about existing and upcoming business opportunities in the Mozambique off-grid market as well as meet key public sector stakeholders and top local private sector companies.