Sahara Group Promotes Intra-African Partnership to Accelerate Energy Access 

Sahara Group is set to reinforce its call for more intra-African collaboration and investments towards enhancing access to energy on the continent at the Africa Energy Week (AEW) 2023 scheduled to hold in Cape Town from October 16 – 20.

An annual event, the AEW brings together leaders, innovators, and experts in the energy sector to discuss and shape the future of energy in Africa. The 2023 theme is ‘The African Energy Renaissance: Prioritizing Energy Poverty, People, the Planet, Industrialization and Free Markets.’

Key conversations at the event will include bringing energy responsibly to more than 600 million people in Africa without access to electricity and over 900 million with no access to clean cooking fuel, among other energy needs in Africa.

The head, Corporate Communications at Sahara Group,  Bethel Obioma,  said the company’s delegation to the AEW would, through presentations at different panels and strategic meetings, seek to galvanise stakeholders towards a shared vision of collaboration and cooperation to enhance capacity, efficiency, productivity, and sustainability across the energy value chain in Africa.

“African governments and businesses need to join forces as the continent navigates the path of strategies, policies and investments required to deliver a sustainable future for Africa’s energy sector. Collaboration across-the-board will transmit a clear message that Africa is united in its drive towards a just energy transition that ensures access and affordability, leaving no one behind,” he added.

Sahara Group’s delegation includes, Ejiro Gray, Director, Governance and Sustainability, Sahara Group, Emmanuel Magani, Managing Director, Sahara Group Limited, Henry Menkiti, Chief Operating Officer, Asharami Energy (A Sahara Group Upstream Company), Nicolas Mignot; Chief Financial officer, Sahara Energy International Geneva, and  the head, Commercial and Planning, Asharami Energy, Dr. Tosin Etomi.

Gray, who will be a discussant on the panel, ‘Building Value and Promoting Investment through Local Content and Capacity Building’ said, Africa needs policy harmonisation to stimulate a surge in transactions within Africa’s energy sector.

The session, which is powered by Sahara Group, will focus on examining policies, incentives and frameworks aimed at empowering the competitiveness of African companies.

Magani joins the session, ‘The Game Changer: Examining African Gas Development Strategies and Investment Opportunities,’ as the continent looks to gas as a transition fuel, while Menkiti’s panel will focus on ‘Unlocking hidden value: Maximising Revenue in Africa’s Mature Fields.’

Dr. Etomi’s panel is themed “’The African Energy Renaissance: Reinforcing African Priorities Amidst the Global Energy Transition”, and Mignot, will speak at the panel on “LPG: An Integral Component of Energy Access for All.’