Seriti Inexperienced, CEO, Peter Venn, one of many key audio system presenting on Wednesday on the Africa Vitality Discussion board (AEF), in Cape City for the primary time in its 27-year historical past, mentioned: “I’ve been attending these occasions for 13 years and it’s time for us to alter. Within the coming years, my nice hope is that 90 p.c of the traders right here will probably be African. I don’t imagine these from afar can inform us what to do. That’s how we are going to change issues right here and overcome the present wall of resistance.”
Working from 18–21 June 2025 on the Cape City Worldwide Conference Centre (CTICC), AEF 2025 has convened greater than 6,000 power professionals, ministers, utility leaders, builders, traders and youth delegates, all gathered to handle one of many continent’s most urgent questions: how you can scale power entry and transition to low-carbon techniques whereas driving financial inclusion.
Positioned forward of South Africa’s upcoming G20 assembly in Mpumalanga in September, the discussion board holds symbolic and strategic worth. Greater than 25 power ministers and 30 heads of utilities are attending, alongside African Growth Financial institution officers, world financiers, energy producers, and know-how firms. The occasion, now in its second yr, co-located with the Youth Vitality Summit (YES!), with over 5000 younger Capetonians attending, just isn’t solely a hub for infrastructure funding but in addition a platform for shaping a continental voice on power fairness and resilience.
Classes this yr vary from regional energy swimming pools and battery storage to wheeling coverage and digital infrastructure. The stakes are excessive. In accordance with the Worldwide Vitality Company (IEA), Africa wants greater than $190 billion per yr in power investments by 2030, two-thirds of which have to be directed towards clear power. The discussion board goals to shut that hole, not solely by means of offers however by means of shared accountability.
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Seriti Inexperienced’s undertaking in Mpumalanga is the biggest infrastructure within the province, gaining consideration for its integration of large-scale renewables with social and financial transition.
Venn delivered a transparent warning: “We all know electrical energy provide must double within the subsequent 20 years. With out buy-in and actual authorities assist, it turns into unattainable.” He went on to problem the notion that decarbonisation should come on the expense of jobs, stating that greater than 50 p.c of the talents wanted for renewables exist already in South Africa’s coal sector.
Seriti Inexperienced’s present wind undertaking, Ummbila Emoyeni, a 900MW facility with 800 MWh of battery storage, has reached monetary shut and begun infrastructure growth.
The total programme anticipates R70 billion in funding by 2030. In accordance with Venn, 1,187 persons are already working on-site as of mid-June, with a 10-year native employment programme underway and 16,000 individuals registered on the Seriti Inexperienced jobs portal.
Past direct employment, the portal can also be integrating native distributors to bid for tenders akin to fencing, catering, and waste elimination, providing coaching and compliance help. The undertaking is reusing water from its mining operations, investing R50 million in port upgrades at Richards Bay, and gifting a brand new climate radar to assist environmental monitoring.
“This isn’t nearly electrons. It’s about ecosystems,” Venn mentioned. “Now we have to get the communities to come back alongside. The power transition is technically easy. Socially, it’s the toughest half.”
Elsewhere at AEF, voices from throughout the continent echoed comparable considerations. Delegates from Nigeria, Senegal, the African Growth Financial institution, and Siemens Vitality highlighted the gaps in transmission infrastructure, undertaking bankability, and regulatory readiness. Discussions centered not simply on megawatts, however on mechanisms – how you can de-risk investments, scale regional integration, and assist homegrown innovation.
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The Youth Vitality Summit, working in parallel, introduced in over a number of thousand younger professionals and college students, representing a rising give attention to generational renewal within the sector. Panel discussions included youth financing fashions, gender fairness within the power workforce, and the rise of native tech innovation hubs in power companies.
AEF’s arrival in Cape City was seen by many as overdue. South Africa is residence to each legacy coal dependency and one of many continent’s most superior renewable procurement frameworks. But its transition stays fraught with grid constraints, labour dynamics, and political complexity.
Peter Venn’s remarks captured that pressure whereas pointing to the likelihood. “There’s a fallacy that every one jobs are misplaced,” he mentioned. “We’re seeing the transition unfold in entrance of us, and it’s potential to develop each dignity and capability if we’re intentional.”
Within the ultimate two days, AEF will proceed with closed-door funding roundtables, regional energy briefings, and ministerial panels. Whereas few anticipate consensus on each level, the tone this yr has been clear: African options should lead the African power transition. And that management should now be seen, verifiable, and simply.
