Mini grids deployment in Sub-Saharan Africa to be boosted at Nairobi summit

The 4th Africa Mini Grids Summit 2018 will convene this month on March 21-22 in Nairobi, Kenya.

This fourth edition of the Africa-wide conference will gather electricity regulators, utilities operators, mini grids developers, financiers, engineering and consulting experts, technology providers, and development agencies to share their invaluable expertise and experience in providing for the continent’s rapidly-increasing power requirements.

Among the distinguished experts providing new knowledge and insights are: Prof AbuBakr S Bahaj, Professor of Sustainable Energy and Head of Energy & Climate Change Division, University of Southampton from the UK; Amanda Delcore of Factor(e) Ventures from USA; and Balthasar Klimbie, Key Expert Rural Energy, The European Commission’s Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) for the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Initiative from The Netherlands.

Prof AbuBakr Bahaj noted:

“This is one of the most interesting meetings on mini grids and energy access for productive use – bringing policy makers, relevant government organizations, developers and academics together in one forum. It is intimate with a lot of time devoted to discussions and debate, with an added bonus of visiting one of the pioneering mini grid projects in Africa.”

Electrification is core to development and mini grids are expected to play a critical role in meeting the UN Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) goal of universal access by 2030. Governments in Sub-Saharan Africa have placed mini grids investment and deployment high on their development agenda, providing enabling framework to make mini girds an attractive option. However, electrifying millions of households, remote communities and small scale entrepreneurs remains a challenge.

This Summit brings together all stakeholders to discuss key issues and best practices to accelerate the uptake of mini grids.

Regional energy authorities leading the discussions at this 2018 Summit include the Energy Regulatory Commission of Kenya, the Rural Energy Agency of Tanzania, the Rural Electrification Authority of Zambia; along with the Rural Electrification Agency of Uganda and top officials from Nigeria.

Private sector stakeholders who will share their expertise and practical applications at the 2018 Summit include:

Sam Slaughter, CEO, PowerGen Renewable Energy; Eugene Obiero, Senior Manager for Energy Projects, Camco Clean Energy; Brian Kelly, Managing Director, Virunga Power; Clifford J Aron, President & Founding Principal; GreenMax Capital Group; Victor Ndiege, Portfolio Manager for REACT, The AECF Kenya; among many others.

The CEO of the conference-organizing company, Magenta Global Pte Ltd, Singapore, Maggie Tan, added:

“Improving electrification in rural Africa is a paramount priority for most of the Governments in Africa. With less than 15% of rural households in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) having access to electricity, strategies for creating commercially-viable small power producers and mini grids in rural areas are critically needed. The time is right to unlock resources and the technology is available to create economically and financially sustainable mini grids to power communities and businesses.”

Ms Tan encouraged all companies and organizations to contribute to the development of this renewable energy sector by being part of this key event.

The 4th Africa Mini Grids Summit 2018 is held in collaboration with Knowledge Partner Energy for Development (e4D) Network / University of Southampton and supported by: the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), the African Network for Solar Energy (ANSOLE), and the South African Alternative Energy Association (SAAEA).

The two-day event will be held at the Hotel InterContinental in Nairobi, Kenya.