African Development Bank launches Africa Energy Portal
The African Development Bank launched the Africa Energy Portal (AEP) at the Africa Investment Forum in Johannesburg last Friday. The AEP portal, hosted at http://africa-energy-portal.org , will consolidate, validate, and disseminate energy data and insights across Africa’s energy value chain, covering generation, transmission, distribution, regulation and policy.
The AEP is designed to address a lack of information in the sector, by providing a one-stop shop for accurate, reliable, relevant and up-to-date information on energy in Africa. This will include statistics on investment flows and deals, as well as the socio-economic outcomes of power projects.
“Many international and local stakeholders have experienced the challenges of being back in the energy sector. The AEP is strategically positioned to resolve these challenges by providing stakeholders with the requisite information to facilitate decision making, and that Africa’s energy sector will revolutionize Africa’s energy sector, “said Amadou Hott, Vice President of Power, Energy, Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank.
In addition to being an information repository, the AEP will also provide an interactive platform for sharing knowledge among Africa’s energy sector stakeholders and experts. It will serve as a virtual space for engagement and progressive dialogue on pertinent issues affecting the development of the continent’s energy and power infrastructure.
Speaking during the launch, Wale Shonibare, Director of Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation at the African Development Bank, AEP as a long-overdue, but necessary, step-in in Africa’s energy sector. ”
Reinforcing the need for partnerships, Shonibare welcomed collaboration from external stakeholders. “We are aware that the portal’s success will depend on extensive collaboration, and we invite professionals, developers, investors, regulators, governments, financial institutions, statisticians, utility companies, think tanks, philanthropic institutions and other stakeholders. robust and formidable platform for the continent, “he said.
Also attending the launch, Uganda’s Minister for Energy and Minerals, Hon.Irene Muloni, is the one that would make better, and informed policy decisions.
The AEP will leverage the bank’s energy sector and statistical expertise to order and consolidate data and statistics on Africa’s energy sector. The bank also aims to collaborate with regional organizations, and in-country statistics on data collection and validation procedures to improve the quality of publicly available information on the continent’s energy sector.
The African Investment Forum, hosted by the African Development Bank, is an unprecedented marketplace platform bringing together pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, capital markets, project sponsors, institutional and financial investors. The Forum is dedicated to advancing projects to bankable internships, raising capital, and accelerating the financial closure of deals.
