Outcomes from the Closed Door Roundtables - Expanding beyond national horizons

For the first time at the Africa Energy Forum, closed door roundtables have been introduced in Barcelona, to spark intense discussion and debate in a more intimate and frank setting. Firmly on the agenda in these meetings were themes including energy systems needed for the future, opportunities for greater collaboration, and what steps the sector needs to take to meet the growing power demands of the continent.

Utilities, investors, regulators, the private sector and DFIs all convened – both independently, and then collectively – to present their challenges and proposed solutions. Issues of financing and generation capacity came to the fore, but underpinning all of the discussions was one clear message: “we need to expand beyond national horizons.”

Promoting greater regional collaboration, interconnectivity and the leveraging of power pools would allow the continent to reclaim its own energy agenda via a more holistic approach. An approach that has the potential to encourage greater innovation, spark an accelerated and more uniform green agenda, to bundle series’ of projects as more attractive financial propositions, and – pivotally – to entice greater interest from the private sector with a clear vision of the continent’s energy trajectory.