Rwanda to Host 2024 Africa Energy Expo and Leadership Summit: A Platform for African Solutions to African Challenges
Rwanda is gearing up to host the 2024 Africa Energy Expo, a landmark event dedicated to advancing energy development across the African continent. Scheduled from November 4 to 6, 2024, this conference will coincide with a Leadership Summit and is expected to draw over 3,000 participants from around the globe, including key players in the energy sector.
The Rwandan government has pledged to make a significant impact at the conference, which aims to unite energy buyers and sellers from across Africa. The event will be instrumental in supporting and implementing the commitments Africa made at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27). By providing a robust platform for dialogue and collaboration, the conference seeks to enhance international support and facilitate access to modern, affordable, and sustainable energy across the continent.
Jean Bosco Mugiraneza, Director of the Department of Energy in Rwanda’s Ministry of Infrastructure, highlighted the unique opportunities this event offers for Rwanda.
When people come together like this and discuss how they have been finding solutions to their problems, people learn from others, gain knowledge, and share ideas. When people come together, when people talk, they find solutions to the problems they face,”
he stated.
The conference will convene a diverse assembly of representatives from the energy industry, including manufacturers of electricity delivery equipment, traders, ministers, power company executives, energy regulators, researchers from universities and research institutions, and financial institutions. Mugiraneza emphasized that the event will serve as a vital platform for networking, exchanging ideas, and showcasing Rwanda’s capacity to host major international conferences and forums.
Rwanda anticipates reaping substantial benefits from the 2024 Africa Energy Expo and Leadership Summit. The discussions will confront the pressing issue of electricity access in Africa, where over 600 million people still lack reliable power. Mugiraneza pointed out that closing this gap requires significant financial investment, capacity building in power projects, and the development of relevant skills.
The meeting will bring together people with different expertise, including those from the energy industry, traders, ministers, representatives of electric power companies, regulators, academics from global universities, and banks that provide financing. People will discuss the methods used elsewhere to solve various challenges, network, and exchange ideas. Information becomes known because people meet together,”
Mugiraneza explained.
This event also presents an opportunity for Rwanda to demonstrate its capabilities as a premier host nation, showcasing the country’s infrastructure, hospitality, and expertise in event management. Mugiraneza noted that the conference will not only facilitate knowledge exchange but also deliver economic benefits to Rwanda, as participants contribute to the local economy.
He emphasized the significance of holding such conferences on African soil. “It is a good time to show that African problems are discussed in Africa by Africans, solved in Africa by Africans, not studied elsewhere,” he asserted.
He further added,
All African conferences should be held on our continent. We should not be discussing Africa’s problems in Europe, not at home. We spend a lot of money going to Europe, but Africa’s problems should be solved by Africans, for Africans.”
The 2024 Africa Energy Expo and Leadership Summit will not only chart the course for the future of energy in Africa but also reinforce the principle that African challenges should be addressed on African soil, by African leaders and experts. Rwanda eagerly anticipates welcoming the international energy community to Kigali in November 2024 for this pivotal event, poised to shape the future of energy development across the continent.
