Energy access and persistent energy poverty across Africa will take centre stage at the opening plenary of Africa Energy Indaba 2026 with a high-level panel set to examine how the continent can accelerate electrification at scale under the Mission 300M initiative.
The opening session, Energy Access and Energy Poverty – Mission 300M, will focus on translating Africa’s electrification ambitions into measurable delivery against the backdrop of rapid population growth, constrained infrastructure investment and uneven grid development across the continent.
While African governments continue to report progress in annual grid connections, panellists are expected to explore how population growth has offset these gains, leaving hundreds of millions of people without access to affordable and reliable electricity. The discussion will examine the structural barriers slowing progress including financing gaps, regulatory bottlenecks and the challenge of aligning grid and off-grid solutions.
Mission 300M aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity and is increasingly shaping conversations around electrification pathways, capital mobilisation and implementation timelines. The panel will assess how the initiative can move from policy ambition to accelerated rollout with particular focus on unlocking investment, strengthening public-private partnerships and improving regional power integration.
Confirmed speakers for the opening plenary include energy ministers from Uganda, Kenya and Angola alongside senior executives from utilities, industry and programme delivery organisations. Eskom’s Group Executive: Strategy and Sustainability, Nontokozo Hadebe, is among the panellists expected to contribute a utility perspective to the discussion.
The session intends to frame broader conference debates around electricity access, infrastructure development and market reform, which remain central to Africa’s industrialisation, healthcare delivery and economic growth prospects.
Africa Energy Indaba 2026 will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on March 3-5.
