The Inward Buying Mission event brought delegates from 10 African countries to Johannesburg and Cape Town, to explore South Africa’s energy project opportunities last week.
Business came from all corners of the continent, including Angola, DRC, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The event hosts were the South African Electrotechnical Export Council (SAEEC), supported by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), Export Credit Insurance Corporation (ECIC), and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).
Chiboni Evans, CEO of the SAEEC said the first part of the event, which was an Inward Buying Mission forum, was designed to exchange energy-related information and expertise across African nations and partners, promoting sustainable energy development throughout the continent.
She said the aim of the forum, is to equip African energy leaders with the knowledge and resources they need to meet their respective energy needs and targets.
DBSA committed to funding the Sosian Geothermal project in Kenya.
The project is located in the Menengai Geothermal fields in Nakuru, Kenya.
It is a 35 Megawatt (MW) geothermal power plant and costs about USD 68 million.
DBSA said about the event “by facilitating intra-African trade and collaboration, we aim to drive transformative growth and the relevant solutions across the energy sector. We are thrilled to host the Africa Energy Sector Inward Buying and Investment Mission with the DTIC, which highlights our commitment to fostering sustainable energy development across the continent. This mission provides a unique platform for African energy leaders to gain critical insights and access resources necessary to meet their energy goals.”
Delegates explored renewable energy projects captured in a newly published database with over 1,200 projects worth approximately US$249 billion.
Picture: DBSA