Ramokgopa urges Africa to turn cross-border power plans into bankable projects

Read rhe full article here.

Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has called for Africa to accelerate the implementation of cross-border electricity infrastructure by converting continental energy plans into bankable projects capable of attracting large-scale investment.

Addressing the opening of the Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town on Tuesday, Ramokgopa said the continent needed to accelerate implementation of the African 10-Year Infrastructure Investment Plan for cross-border interconnectivity, which is being advanced under South Africa's G20 presidency.

The plan should help move the continent “from aspiration to project pipelines, and from project pipelines to implementation”, he said. “The immediate task is to turn this plan into a credible investment pipeline, supported by bankable projects, stronger institutions, and financing instruments that reduce risk and unlock capital at scale.”

Ramokgopa said Africa’s energy challenge was no longer solely about building generation capacity. “This is important because Africa's energy challenge is not only a generation challenge; it is also a transmission challenge, an interconnection challenge, a project preparation challenge and a financing challenge,” he told delegates.

Source: World Bank Group