5 March, 2021 Press release

ARE 6th Energy Access Investment Forum Goes Virtual on 17- 19 March 2021

3 March 2021 – The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) is excited to announce that its flagship annual event, the 6th Energy Access Investment Forum (EAIF), will take place virtually on 17 to 19 March 2021. The event is supported by ARE’s longstanding partner GET.invest, a European programme supported by the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Austria.

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 space and engage in business.

The Forum will convene public and private sector financiers, project developers and decision makers to debate the most innovative financial trends and developments in the rural electrification sector, do business and boost clean energy access. A special focus will be put on addressing the USD 41 billion investment gap that is needed to achieve universal energy access globally and in particular in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 588 million people still lack electricity.

Building on its experience in organising major virtual events in 2020, ARE is convinced that the virtual Forum, with its 50 speakers and 1,000+ expected participants, has all the characteristics that will make it another successful edition of the famous EAIF series – and some more. Participants from all over the world will now be able to attend the event without the need to travel or buy tickets, enabling considerably more business and networking opportunities.

Throughout the two days, the event will feature interactive high-end panels with distinguished speakers, keynote interventions, pitches from key relevant actors on the ground and bespoke GET.invest Matchmaking sessions. In addition, EAIF will be interspersed with announcements of major initiatives to drive the decentralised renewable energy (DRE) sector and SDG-7 forward.

David Lecoque, CEO of ARE says: “Since its 1st edition in 2015, the annual ARE Forum has become a major show, high up in the agenda of top decision makers, international funding partners, investors, DRE companies and CSOs, as well as an important avenue to channel finance towards high impact projects and DRE companies. This year, the new virtual features, 1,000+ expected participants, state-of-the-art B2B facilities and 50+ key speakers will make the 6th edition of EAIF an even greater success and the place to be for everybody active or interested in finance for energy access”.

Furthermore, ARE will host an additional side event on the 3rd day of EAIF dedicated to the launch of the “NREA TOOLKIT – A Guide for National Renewable Energy Associations”, developed by SolarPower Europe and GOGLA in strategic partnership with ARE and supported by GET.invest and UK Aid. The Toolkit provides best practices for National Renewable Energy Associations to support their members and accelerate the energy transition in their respective countries.

The event is sponsored by RES4Africa, TCX Fund, ADEME, BlueSolutions, CEGASA, ElectriFI, EDPR, Engie, INENSUS, NRECA, Renewvia Energy, South Pole, Sterling & Wilson, Zimpertec, ECREEE, Odyssey, Practical Action, SparkMeter and Windkinetic. ARE has also strategically partnered with Energy Catalyst, ACCESS Coalition, ACP Group, AfDB, CLUB-ER, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, Green People’s Energy, SACREEE, SEforALL, SIAZ, Solar Power Europe and UNIDO.

ARE is working hard on the latest preparations to set everything up to the highest standard, so please make sure to register on the event website and check ARE’s social media feed for sneak peeks and key updates!

 

Download the press release