A summit intended to discuss how to unlock investment in the energy and infrastructure sectors, and to whet investor appetite on the sectors in East Africa, will take place in Kampala between 6 -8 February 2018.
The East Africa Energy and Infrastructure summit, organised by the UK based Energynet, will bring together representatives of government from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia. The summit will attract leaders of utility and regulatory companies, international financiers, donor organisations, power developers from within and without the region,
George Hudson, EnergyNet’s business development manager said, “The meeting is crafted to connect East African countries’ governments, utilities and regulators with credible and committed investors in an environment which encourages the debate on the fundamental issues driving the development of power, energy and infrastructure projects across the East African region.”
EnergyNet is owned by the UK’s largest conference and exhibitions organisation, Clarion Events, which has planned investment meetings in Europe, the US, China, Africa and Latin America, where international investors build relationships with public sector stakeholders.
Irene Muloni, Uganda’s minister of Energy & Mineral Development, will open the Kampala meet.
Others speakers at the event include US Ambassador to Uganda, Deborah Malac; CEO Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), Josephine Wapakhabulo; CEO Electricity Regulatory Authority of Uganda, Ziria Tibalwa Waako and other senior officials from the World Bank, African Development Bank and representatives of governments from participating countries.
Some of the topics to be discussed during the 3-day event include how regional collaboration in power and infrastructure development can benefit East Africa’s power sector. Regional projects in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia will be identified and highlighted.
The session will also share experiences on building new partnerships to drive forward energy and infrastructure project development, especially navigating the different regulatory landscapes in the different countries. A special focus will be placed on energy transmission and distribution infrastructure.
The Uganda-Tanzania Crude Oil Pipeline will also be discussed as a typical regional project which is fundamental to the corridor of development for East Africa and has the potential to encourage significant regional industrial development.
The meeting will also discuss debt financing as an increasingly important method of financing for larger-scale projects. Panellists will examine what is required for projects to be successfully financed through debt financing; the importance of debt financing for the Uganda-Tanzania Crude Oil Pipeline; the role local banks can play in the debt financing of power projects as well as matters debt vs. equity.
EnergyNet has held similar investment summits in East Africa for the last 20 years. The Kampala summit is sponsored by French energy group- Engie; infrastructure investment financier and advisor- Fieldstone Africa; international engineering Metka, Nedbank CIB and energy entrepreneur, Wartsila.
