The African Energy Chamber (AEC) congratulates the German Government and the African-German Business Association (Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft) on the success of the 13th German-African Energy Forum held in Hamburg on March 27 and 28, under the theme “Realizing & Financing Africa’s Energy Revolution”.
With a strong focus on financing energy projects on the African continent and highlighting innovative approaches for financing off-grid projects and partnerships, the Chamber believes the time is now for Germany to compete and become active participant in Africa’s development.
The Chamber team participated in various negotiations with German companies on energy projects that will create jobs, investments and business opportunities in Africa especially for women entrepreneurs and young people.
In his speech, Centurion Law Group CEO and AEC Executive Chairman, NJ Ayuk argued that “Initiatives such as the German-African Energy Forum are important to create the platforms Africa needs to attract technology and capital within its energy value-chain.”
He made it clear that “Germany’s energy collaboration with Africa is key for the continent’s energy security and the development of reliable and affordable supply of power to Africans. I am sincerely happy to see a lot of good deals taking shape.”
Key strategic issues raised by AEC at the Hamburg meeting included the role that natural gas can play for Africa’s energy industry, calling on German companies to invest in natural gas infrastructure projects in Africa such as gas-to-power, petrochemicals or fertilizers and share their expertise in that field.
Ayuk averred that “Natural gas is the future of Africa’s energy security and our move to beat the resource curse and create jobs for young people” noting that “Germany, and Europe in general, has expertise in the processing of natural gas, be it producing power from methane through waste-to-power facilities, or developing the right technologies and equipment needed for the development of robust and efficient gas value-chains.”
Business Hilights recalls that for over a decade, the German-African Energy Forum has attracted thousands of participants from over 50 countries. The Chamber recognizes the contribution of this event to Africa’s energy dialogue and to attracting investments within the continent and will be pursuing such engagement at the APPO Cape VII Congress & Exhibition in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on April 1st-5th, 2019.
