Africa Energy Indaba will take place 3 to 5 March 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, bringing together African energy ministers, representatives of Africa’s power pools, utilities from across the continent, and leading investors, regulators and infrastructure developers.
Africa Energy Indaba 2026 will open with a high-level plenary panel addressing one of the continent’s major challenges: extending energy access.
The Africa Energy Indaba continues to provide a strategic platform where policy direction is shaped, procurement priorities are discussed, and energy partnerships are forged to advance the development Africa’s power sector.
The conference will open this year with a high-level plenary panel addressing one of the continent’s most urgent challenges: Energy access and Energy poverty – Mission 300M.
Despite ongoing electrification efforts, hundreds of millions of Africans remain without access to affordable, reliable energy systems. Governments continue to report progress in new grid connections each year, but rapid population growth across the continent means the overall access gap remains stubbornly persistent. Without accelerated intervention, energy poverty will continue to constrain healthcare delivery, education systems, industrialisation, and long-term economic growth.
Mission 300 is an initiative led by the World Bank Group and African Development Bank, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). It brings together African governments, the private sector, and development partners to extend electricity access across the continent, focusing specifically on:
- Expanding the electricity grid and increasing connections in underserved areas
- Deploying mini-grids and standalone solar solutionsto bring power to remote, off-grid communities
- And modernising Africa’s energy sectorby catalysing infrastructure investment, driving comprehensive policy reforms, and mobilising private investment.
Mission 300 provides a framework to lift millions out of energy poverty, unlock opportunities, and drive economic growth. Some 30 African countries have already developed their National Energy Compacts with time-bound targets to increase access, strengthen utilities, and attract private capital.
At Africa Energy Indaba, the opening plenary session on Mission 300M will look at moving from ambition to accelerated implementation. The discussion will focus on unlocking capital, reforming regulatory frameworks, scaling distributed solutions, and strengthening regional power integration to facilitate measurable impacts.
Distinguished opening plenary speakers include:
- Ethen Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Edison Power
- 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
- James Opiyo Wandayi, Cabinet Secretary of Energy and Petroleum, Republic of Kenya
- João Baptista Borges, Minister of Energy and Water, Republic of Angola.
Bringing together ministers, utilities, private sector leaders, financiers and development partners, this session will set the tone for Africa’s premier energy investment platform.
The session is set to address:
- Accelerating implementation of Mission 300M in line with targets
- Bridging the financing gap for grid and off-grid solutions
- Aligning population growth with electrification strategies
- Strengthening public-private partnerships
- Energy access as a foundation for healthcare, education and industrialisation.
The 18th edition of the Africa Energy Indaba will convene over 5 000 participants from more than 40 countries, including government leaders, utilities, investors, project developers, multilateral institutions and technology providers. It will present three days of strategic dialogue, investment engagement and project development discussions.
For more information visit: https://africaenergyindaba.com
