Africa Energy Indaba 2026 Opens With Bold Electrification Push

The 18th Africa Energy Indaba will open this year with a high-level plenary tackling one of the continent’s most pressing structural challenges: energy access.

Under the theme “Energy Access and Energy Poverty – Mission 300M”, the conference’s opening session will examine how Africa can move from incremental progress to large-scale implementation in connecting 300 million people to electricity.

Despite ongoing electrification efforts, hundreds of millions across the continent still lack access to affordable and reliable power. While governments continue to record new grid connections each year, rapid population growth has meant that the overall access gap remains stubbornly wide. Without accelerated intervention, energy poverty will continue to limit healthcare delivery, education systems, industrial expansion and long-term economic growth.

The plenary will focus on how the recently launched Mission 300M initiative can shift from ambition to action. Discussions are expected to centre on unlocking capital flows, reforming regulatory frameworks, scaling distributed energy solutions and strengthening regional power integration to deliver measurable, time-bound impact.

Distinguished speakers confirmed include:

• Ethen Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Edison Power

• Hon. Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Republic of Uganda

• Andrew Herscowitz, Chief Executive Officer, M300 Accelerator

• Cassandra Siemens, eGRID Regional Manager, Hatch (Panel Host)

• Nontokozo Hadebe, Group Strategy Executive for Strategy and Sustainability, Eskom

• H.E. James Opiyo Wandayi, Cabinet Secretary of Energy and Petroleum, Republic of Kenya

• H.E. João Baptista Borges, Minister of Energy and Water, Republic of Angola

  
  

Bringing together ministers, utilities, private sector leaders, financiers and development partners, the session is positioned to set the strategic tone for what remains Africa’s premier energy investment platform.

Key themes will include:

• Accelerating implementation of Mission 300M targets

• Bridging financing gaps across grid and off-grid solutions

• Aligning electrification strategy with population growth trends

• Strengthening public-private partnerships

• Framing energy access as foundational to healthcare, education and industrialisation

  
  

“Africa cannot industrialise in the dark,” said Liz Hart, Managing Director of the Africa Energy Indaba. “Mission 300M represents a historic opportunity, but ambition must now translate into accelerated delivery. This plenary will bring together the decision-makers and investors capable of moving from policy discussion to implementation at scale.”

The 2026 edition of the Africa Energy Indaba is expected to convene more than 5,000 participants from over 40 countries, including government leaders, utilities, investors, project developers, multilateral institutions and technology providers. The Opening Plenary will anchor three days of strategic dialogue, investment engagement and project development discussions.