The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has been named the official ‘Lead Wind Energy Partner’ for the Africa Energy Forum (aef), which will be held in Nairobi from 20-23 June
GWEC has partnered with EnergyNet, the organisers of aef, to help provide a platform to advocate for wind technology at the forum. As such, GWEC’s Africa WindPower initiative is supported by GET.invest, a European programme that mobilises investment in renewable energy in developing countries.
Only 1% of the world's wind farms are located in Africa, despite the continent having an enormously proven wind resource. The installation of wind energy is expected to increase in many countries on the continent in the years to come, from the more developed wind markets of Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, and South Africa, to the developing wind markets of Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, Tunisia, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Ghana.
Wangari Muchiri, GWEC’s Africa WindPower director, said, “As an African wind industry, we have already shown that we can provide people with clean and reliable electricity, make business, industry and entire economies more competitive, all the while decarbonising energy systems. From the Taiba N’Diaye wind farm in Senegal, to Lake Turkana in Kenya to Jeffrey’s Bay in South Africa, wind energy is already making a positive difference across the continent - it is just not well enough understood yet. We look forward to engaging with public and private sector stakeholders at the Africa Energy Forum in Nairobi to discuss the opportunities that wind energy can bring.”
George Hudson, EnergyNet’s portfolio manager and head of corporate development in Africa, commented, “aef will see over 2,500 of Africa’s key public and private sector decision-makers meet to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the continent’s energy sector, and our partnership with GWEC provides a unique opportunity to engage with globally-recognised market-leaders operating in the wind energy space.”
Michael Franz, GET.invest team leader, stated, “On behalf of our contributors - the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Austria - we are proud to support the Africa Energy Forum through GWEC's Africa WindPower to drive further investment for wind energy in Africa. This partnership aligns with GET.invest's key objective of mobilising renewable energy investments at scale and our mandate as the Team Europe One Stop Shop under the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative, bundling European contributions to green energy in Africa.”
