THE 18th edition of the Africa Energy Indaba, held from 3 to 5 March 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre brought together policymakers, ministers, investors, utilities and industry leaders from across the continent and around the world.
Major announcements and strategic developments
In a media statement issued after the event, the 2026 Africa Energy Indaba outlined several important announcements and partnerships that the event delivered. These include:
Mission 300 commitment expanded. As part of Mission 300 Day during the Indaba, The Rockefeller Foundation announced an additional US$10 million in support of Mission 300, the ambitious initiative led by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank aimed at connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
The announcement reinforced the growing momentum behind Mission 300 and highlighted the importance of global partnerships in addressing Africa’s energy access gap.
Nuclear energy cooperation agreement. During the Nuclear Forum, South Africa’s Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) and Russia’s Rosatom signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in nuclear skills development, training and research.
The partnership supports South Africa’s nuclear expansion ambitions and focuses on developing the next generation of nuclear professionals, promoting women’s participation in the sector and advancing collaborative research programmes.
Global nuclear capacity commitment
A further milestone of the Nuclear Forum was the signing of the Declaration to Triple Global Nuclear Capacity by 2050, in collaboration with the World Nuclear Association. The declaration reflects growing international recognition of nuclear power as a critical component of global energy security and decarbonisation strategies.
President’s keynote address
In his keynote address, President Cyril Ramaphosa underscored the importance of energy security, infrastructure development and regional cooperation in unlocking Africa’s economic potential.
Addressing delegates from across the global energy ecosystem, President Ramaphosa emphasised that Africa’s abundant natural resources — including solar, wind, hydropower, gas and critical minerals — position the continent to become a competitive energy producer while meeting its development needs.
Advancing continental investment
A key highlight of the Indaba was the Ministerial Roundtable on the Africa Ten-Year Infrastructure Investment Plan for Cross-Border Interconnectivity (TYIIP).
The roundtable focused on accelerating priority transmission and power infrastructure projects across the continent, strengthening project preparation mechanisms, improving cross-border coordination and mobilising both public and private investment to enable regional energy integration.
Energy leaders emphasised that cross-border interconnectivity and regional power pools will be essential to delivering reliable and affordable electricity across Africa
Energy investment opportunities
The Indaba also hosted the South African Investment Forum, hosted by the Department of Electricity and Energy, which profiled a range of investment opportunities in South Africa’s evolving energy sector.
The forum provided investors with insights into new projects across renewable energy, transmission infrastructure, gas-to-power developments, nuclear energy expansion and emerging technologies.
A platform for strategic energy dialogue
The Africa Energy Indaba 2026 brought together energy stakeholders to explore pathways for:
- Strengthening energy security and resilience across Africa
- Accelerating energy investment and project development
- Advancing regional power integration and cross-border infrastructure
- Supporting Africa’s just and inclusive energy transition
- Unlocking the potential of gas-to-power, renewables, storage and grid expansion
Government leaders, development finance institutions, utilities, private sector companies and technology innovators participated in a series of high-level discussions, ministerial roundtables and industry forums.
Key outcomes and strategic discussions. Among the key themes and outcomes emerging from the 2026 Indaba were:
- Energy investment acceleration. Delegates emphasised the need to significantly increase investment in generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure to meet Africa’s rapidly growing energy demand.
- Regional integration and infrastructure development. Ministers and industry leaders highlighted the importance of strengthening regional power pools and cross-border interconnectors to improve reliability and unlock continental energy markets.
- Energy transition aligned with industrial growth. A central message from the conference was that Africa’s energy transition must support industrialisation, job creation and economic development while advancing sustainability goals.
- Strategic role of natural gas. The Africa Gas Forum reinforced the role of natural gas as a transition fuel capable of supporting electricity generation, industrial growth and energy stability across the continent.
- Public–private partnerships. Strong emphasis was placed on collaboration between governments, investors and development partners to accelerate project implementation and mobilise large-scale energy financing.
