INDUSTRY WATCH
SOUTH AFRICA IS WELL-
POSITIONED TO BE AMONG
REGIONAL AND GLOBAL
LEADERS TRANSITIONING
THE ENERGY SYSTEM.
T
he Minister of Mineral Resources
and Energy of South Africa, Gwede
Mantashe, launched the Africa
Energy Series: South Africa 2019 report
at the Africa Oil & Power conference.
Under the theme of ‘Energy in Powering
Growth’, panel discussions and talk
sessions unpacked the challenges and
opportunities in Africa’s power sector.
Topics included energy transition, Africa’s
renewable energy sector, financing the
power sector and energy security.
There was a keynote address from Kholly
Zono, Acting CEO of CEF Group, who
introduced Mantashe. In his introduction,
Zono outlined CEF Group’s energy
strategies and shared that the CEF group
is, in line with the conference theme,
motivated by the goal of making energy
work and, is driven by the agenda of
addressing inequality, unemployment,
and poverty.
He said, at the core of its strategy,
the group is built on the fundamental
principles of empowering people and
innovation. “The theme of the conference
#MakeEnergyWork resonates very well
with the CEF Group of companies, taking
into account the global challenges in
terms of energy requirements,” said Zono.
“Making energy work is challenging us
to move beyond strategies and focus on
innovative approaches.”
In his keynote address, Minister
Mantashe spoke about the role the
energy sector plays in driving economic
growth. “South Africa recognises the
energy and mineral resources sectors as
catalysts to economic growth,” he said.
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“We have witnessed how an adverse
impact of high costs and unreliable
supply of energy have on the productive
sectors of the economy.” He further
added that the government is also
promoting the Integrated Resource Plan
and the Amendment to the Gas Act of
2001 to encourage investment in the
energy sector and to increase energy
security in the continent.
Minister Mantashe also launched the
Africa Energy Series: South Africa 2019
report compiled by Africa Oil & Power and
dedicated it to the late Deputy Minister,
Bavelile Hlongwe. In a renewable energy
panel discussion moderated by Esther
Lediga, Managing Director of Intra-Afrika
Advisory, CEOs of companies operating
in the sector from across the continent
agreed that the clean, reliable and
sustainable energy has a big role to play
in lighting up Africa.
“Renewables have moved at a very fast
pace,” said David Masureik, CEO of New
Southern Energy. “Many governments
are still getting their heads around how
to implement it in the best possible way.
The benefits of renewable are multi-fold.”
On building a sustainable renewable
energy future, Maduna Ngobeni, Head of
Regional Programmes at IPPO, said: “We
shouldn’t compete with each other. We
need to strive for a common goal – we
need to understand where we want to be
and how we get there. How exactly do we
make the environment conducive? What
kind of project do you want? The private
sector needs clear framework that will
show: ‘for the next five to ten years, this is
how we will roll it out’.”
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