By Oke Peter
An international organisation that facilitates energy conferences and investment drive, EnergyNet Limited, has announced its annual Regional Energy Co-operation (REC) summit. The event will hold from January 24 to 25, 2018, at the Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire, in Abidjan.
According to EnergyNet’s Regional Manager for West Africa, Valeria Aruffo: “The 2018 REC summit is an investors’ meeting that will focus on energy, infrastructure and projects financing in West Africa. It will address opportunities for cross-border co-operation and regional integration as well as unlocking West Africa’s investments in energy and infrastructure to support industrialisation.”
“The summit will also evaluate outcomes from the last meeting, identify next steps and gather West Africa’s energy decision-makers to drive forward regional partnerships and projects. The increasing co-operation between North and West Africa will be also discussed, with a particular focus on the Kingdom of Morocco and its leading role as a new driver of development on the continent.”
Aruffo stated further that: “the Electricity Company of Ghana (state owned utility for power distribution), will be an important contributor to our January summit. The company is to be handed over to a private entity for a period of 20 years concession under the MCC Compact II, which aims to transform Ghana’s power sector and stimulate private investments.”
Key speakers at the event are: Project and Export Finance, Standard Chartered Bank, Anthonia Okoh; the Head, Power Procurement and Power Contract, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET), Longe Yesufu Longe; the Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Senate Committee on Power, Steel, Development and Metallurgy, Senator Mustapha Bukar; the Head, Infrastructure Finance for West Africa, Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) Nigeria, Rachel More; the Managing Director, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), Subha Nagarajan; SE4All Coordinator, ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), Nathalie Weisman and the Executive Secretary, Energy Commission, Ghana, Dr Alfred Ahenkora, ECOWAS Energy Ministers, Government representatives, Heads of Utilities, Regulators, power developers, technology providers, financiers and multilateral agencies from across West Africa, among others will discuss strategies to engage private sector and multilaterals.
Panelists at the summit will discuss: the Regulatory Frameworks for Electricity Market Development: PPA —Standardisation for ECOWAS Projects; ECOWAS Regional Overview of Energy Development from Energy Ministers from ECOWAS Leading Foundation for Broader Investments for Energy and Regional Interconnection Projects as well as the challenges facing private sector investors and how it affects policies and decision making.
