Future Energy Series: Africa (FESA) has announced the agreement of a strategic partnership with the African Forum for Utility Regulators (AFUR).
FESA is the deal-making and project origination platform of choice for the continent’s most influential low-carbon energy stakeholders.
As part of the agreement, AFUR will contribute to the development of the inaugural FESA conference programme, ensuring it reflects the objectives and challenges faced by their extensive network of pan-African Ministers, utility CEOs and regulators.
Bringing together the most significant energy players, AFUR will use FESA as a platform for active dialogue on developing robust, dynamic energy policies and advancing green economies.
Director of strategic partnerships at FESA, Paul Sinclair, said “we are excited to work closely with AFUR, they will undoubtedly prove to be a great asset to FESA. We recognize that over the coming 50 years Africa will face a myriad of fresh challenges related to energy access.
“Across all regions a young, upwardly mobile population of new middle-income citizens lack a basic supply of easy-to-access, affordable power. Key issues such as large base power deficits and insufficient power generation mean that industry lacks the capacity to grow and prosper.
“Challenges in inadequate energy infrastructure deter required investment in the power sector, and the need for policy reform makes some economies prohibitive for highly regulated and cautious investors. The partnership between AFUR and FESA will provide a platform for B2G dialogue and lobbying that will eradicate prohibitive red tape, unblock bottlenecks to make economies more conducive to investors and accelerate capital flow into the continent.”
According to Debbie Roets, executive secretary of AFUR,“AFUR is very excited to work closely with FESA on this very important event. It is always important to bring all the policy makers together to discuss the challenges in energy access in Africa, the greatest being delivering sustainable, affordable sources of electricity across the continent.
“Although governments have made great strides over the past two decades in developing both robust regulatory frameworks and energy access, the progress made has been uneven; just under 600 million Africans still have no access to electricity. This event definitely provides the opportunities for discussions on best practices and information sharing.”
The vision of FESA is to drive green economies to ensure universal power access for the African continent. The event is the deal-making and project origination platform of choice for the continent’s most influential low-carbon energy stakeholders. FESA takes an Africa-centric approach to the energy transition, which prioritizes sustainable development and solving the continental power deficit. It will run alongside its sister event, Africa Oil Week, 1-5 November 2021 in Cape Town, South Africa.
The African Forum for Utility Regulators (AFUR) focuses on issues related to the regulation of energy, telecommunications, transport, and water & sanitation industries, with a particular emphasis on issues that are common across sectors, but not necessarily limited to the primary focus sectors.
AFUR is regarded as a key building block in the efforts of the African Union and its socio-economic programme, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) in the integration and rebirth of Africa. AFUR’s vision and objectives are derived from Clause 110 of the NEPAD framework document, which recognizes the establishment of the African Forum for Utility Regulation and regional regulatory associations.
