The World Future Energy Summit 2025 will continue to build the blueprint for a sustainable future. (Image source: WFES)

The Middle East’s role as a new global fuels hub, the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in energy industry transformation, and potential pathways to a sustainable and resilient future are a trio of critical issues to be explored when the World Future Energy Summit returns to Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 14-16 January as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2025 (ADSW)

Hosted by Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s World Future Energy Summit – now globally recognised as the world’s premier business event focused on future energy and sustainability – will bring together pioneering energy sector minds, policy and decision-makers, and industry innovators to demonstrate, discuss and debate cutting-edge solutions and trends shaping a sustainable and resilient energy future.

The summit will explore broader regional trends, bringing together the global players who can help the UAE achieve its goal of increasing the proportion of clean energy in the country’s overall mix from its current level of 27.83% to 32% by 2030.

“Masdar’s pioneering and innovative track record as the UAE’s clean energy powerhouse provides demonstrable evidence of the UAE’s ambitious clean energy goals and the region’s growing prominence as a sustainability leader,” remarked Masdar CEO, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi. “As a founding host and longstanding supporter of the World Future Energy Summit, we look forward to working with global partners, leaders and innovators to enable solutions to some of the world’s most pressing climate challenges.”

“The World Future Energy Summit is not just another industry event—it’s the heart of innovation and collaboration for building a sustainable energy future at a critical juncture,” added Leen AlSebai, general manager of RX Middle East and head of the World Future Energy Summit. “Energy demands and landscapes are constantly evolving, and our 2025 edition will draw on key trends and learnings from 2024 to continue propelling the industry forward. As we chart a sustainable future, we’ll place special focus on the Middle East’s role in the future of fuels and a carbon-neutral approach to economic growth.”

Summit host, Masdar will emphasise the need for cross-sector collaboration to achieve global energy transition goals in support of the tripling of global renewable capacity set out in the UAE Consensus. The 2025 edition will spotlight how countries across the region and internationally are capitalising on emerging clean energy opportunities. It will feature exclusive sessions exploring the evolving strategies of regional and international energy companies as they lead the charge towards decarbonisation, spurred by commitments made at COP28 in the UAE.

Bridging global and regional clean energy agendas

The summit’s agenda will reflect the UAE’s ambitious clean energy goals and the region’s growing prominence as a sustainability leader. Dedicated conference streams will discuss landmark UAE projects and their contributions toward the UAE Energy Strategy 2050. The event will also highlight the Emirates’ rising stature in the global green hydrogen market, with recent reports ranking it first in hydrogen market readiness in the Middle East.

Faisal Rashid, senior director, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, will take part in a panel discussion on ‘Energy Efficiency: Balancing cost, incentives, and sustainability’, and sees the summit as a key enabler in promoting the UAE’s clean energy strategies. "My main objective is to leverage this international platform to promote energy efficiency and sustainability practices, share our expertise in energy strategy activation, and exchange knowledge with other professionals in the field,” said Rashid. “Participating in this event highlights our commitment to advancing the UAE's clean energy strategy and Net Zero targets. By collaborating with industry leaders and sharing best practices, we can strengthen our position as a key global hub for sustainable energy solutions, driving economic growth while promoting a healthier environment and a better quality of life for future generations."

The conference will also focus on AI and its role in transforming energy ecosystems, given the technology’s potential to optimise energy use, forecast demand, and enhance production efficiency as global consumption levels grow. In-depth discussions will probe how AI can be integrated into energy infrastructure without compromising sustainability efforts.

Elsewhere, participants will have access to six exhibition tracks covering solar energy, EcoWASTE, water, clean energy, smart cities, and climate & environment, while spotlighting regional leaders like Masdar.

Seven conference streams will support the exhibition, providing in-depth discussions on topics such as Pathways to 1.5°C, Water and Food Security, Sustainable Cities, Waste Management, and Green Finance. A dedicated focus on women in energy through initiatives like CLIX will also be under in the spotlight, as well as a deep dive into innovation and the role of entrepreneurs in tackling some of the most critical challenges of our time. The 2025 edition of the World Future Energy Summit will also explore the role of the Middle East in creating a new trade network for clean energy, with key initiatives across the region, featuring UAE-based companies such as ACWA Power, leading the way.

With more than 400 global companies and 350 industry speakers expected to take part, the World Future Energy Summit 2025 will serve as a nexus for investment, innovation and knowledge exchange across industries and is not one to be missed.

Visit the website to learn more by clicking here and register for the conference by clicking here

Rajesh Chandiramani stepping into the role of CEO in June. (Image source: Comviva)

Rajesh Chandiramani, CEO of global mobile solutions leader Comviva, has outlined the company’s strategic vision and the importance of the African market to its growth plans

The CEO, who stepped into the new role in June this year, made the comments while speaking to Robert Daniels, Editor of African Review, in a digital interview. In the session, Chandiramani described how the company has evolved its platforms and technologies to consistently push the boundaries with intelligent software solutions that drive substantial business impact for its customers across the globe and is systematically investing to pave the way for a brighter, digitally-connected future. 

While India was the start point for Comviva, Chandiramani explained that Africa was its second stop and, therefore, has the continent in its DNA. With both regions experiencing a growth economy, the company is consistently being challenged to meet new demands but has, so far, met each of these through its dedication and diverse, evolving portfolio.

Discover the full interview with here

AfDB will host and participate in a number of events across COP29. (Image source: AfDB)

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is aiming to mobilise additional resources for climate action in Africa and launch a new approach to assessing African economies at COP29

The 29th edition of the United National Climate Change Conference has begun in Baku, Azerbaijan, as decision makers from across the globe gather to take on the ever-growing climate challenge. Dubbed the ‘finance COP’ the 2024 iteration will see countries negotiate fresh climate finance targets with trillions of dollars required for countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect citizens from the worsening impacts of climate change.

It is into this arena that the AfDB delegation is stepping into with the organisation outlining its agenda for the conference in a statement. In this, AfDB made note of the massive potential to drive clean energy access that the continent holds; an ironic fact against the <3% of global climate finance that is currently deployed to sub-Saharan Africa. This deficit hinders efforts to advance National Adaption Plans and Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement.

“There is no reason why Africa should be greenly poor,” remarked AfDB president Akinwumi Adesina. “Africa should be greenly wealthy by proper valuation of its vast contributions to global environmental services.”

To achieve this wealth, the president is advocating for recalibrating the GDP of African countries to reflect natural assets like forests and carbon sinks, a move that would reveal a significantly higher GDP and thus paint a better reflection of the continent’s environmental contributions. The conference will therefore serve as a platform for the introduction of ‘Measuring the Green Wealth of Africa’ initiative to redefine African economies.

Preliminary estimates from AfDB suggest that adjusting for carbon sequestration alone could boost Africa’s nominal GDP by US$66.1bn in 2022 with six Congo Basin countries accounting for nearly 64% of this. The significance of this initiative – which has received strong backing from participating countries such as Republic of Congo and Kenya – was explained by Adesina who noted, “That means that the countries can have larger headroom to take on more financing and invest them for the greening of their economies. Therefore, such a move is important for re-computing Africa's debt sustainability.”

AfDB utilising the COP29 platform to focus on climate finance should come as little surprise given the growing awareness that flows to Africa are falling well short. This point was recently reiterated by a new report by Climate Policy Initiative which exposed the 'grave financing gap' that continues to threaten Africa's long-term sustainable development trajectory. Discover more about this research by clicking here

Climate neutrality is one of the key topics of bauma 2025. (Image source: Messe München GmbH)

bauma, one of the world’s leading construction and mining machinery trade fairs that is run on a three-ear cycle, is returning 7-13 April 2025 at the Trade Fair Center Messe München, Germany

This year, the event is looking to answer how construction processes be as climate-neutral as possible in the future, a pertinent topic in the modern age as the world strives to reach net zero goals.

A statement from bauma has outlined some of the key areas progress can be made, and where the event in Germany will focus on:

• Process automation: “As the international construction machinery industry has already been vigorously driving forward this development for decades, for example, through increasingly economical components, much has already been achieved in this regard,” said Joachim Schmid, managing director in the construction machinery and building material plants division at the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA).

• Digitalisation: At bauma, opportunities around digitalisation and automation will be clear with digital solutions enabling better planning of machines. Developing more sophisticated machine-to-machine communication can ensure more efficient production chains, while smart sensors can monitor machine status. These are but some of the advantages being realised which bring tangible benefits such as avoiding idle times and increasing energy consumption.

• Alternative drive concepts: In addition to the use of electric motors, many companies are focusing on developing and testing hydrogen-power construction machinery. Such concepts – in addition to alternative fuels like HVO – have great potential for reducing greenhouse gases. “Because alternative drive concepts are currently so relevant for manufacturers and users, we are dedicating a separate key topic to this technology segment at bauma 2025,” surmised Nicole Schmitt, bauma exhibition director.

• Continuing the conversation: According to the bauma organisers, to make sure a transformation to climate-neutral construction succeeds, then discussions between industry stakeholders need to be maintained. At bauma, machine manufacturers, construction companies, politicians, researchers, and everything in-between will be represented and encourage to partake in the dialogue and drive the industry forward.

Click here to visit the website to learn more.