The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), in partnership with a network of organisations, today opens the 2026 Future of Energy Conference in Accra, bringing together policymakers, energy-sector leaders, investors, researchers and civil society actors to confront one of Africa’s most pressing development questions: how to build energy systems capable of powering industrial transformation.
The two-day conference, scheduled for August 25–26 at the Labadi Beach Hotel, is being held under the theme “Powering Africa’s Industrial Transformation: Energy Systems for Value Addition and Competitiveness.”.
The conference seeks to move the continent’s energy debate beyond electricity access and transition targets towards the harder question of whether African economies have the affordable, reliable and sufficiently large-scale energy systems required to process their minerals, manufacture products and compete globally.
At the heart of the discussions is Africa’s energy-cost problem. ACEP says industrial competitiveness is being undermined by a combination of tariff structures, generation costs, fuel exposure, financing costs and inefficiencies across power systems.
The conference will therefore examine how African countries can reduce industrial energy costs without undermining the financial sustainability of utilities or making electricity unaffordable for households.
Participants will also interrogate whether existing electricity infrastructure is ready for the continent’s industrial ambitions. Generation adequacy, transmission capacity, reserve margins and grid stability will come under scrutiny, particularly in relation to energy-intensive industries such as mineral processing, manufacturing and emerging clean-energy industries.
The discussions are expected to connect energy planning more directly to industrial and mineral-development strategies.
Another major strand will be the choice and configuration of technologies capable of delivering competitive industrial power. Rather than promoting a single energy source, the conference will examine least-cost combinations of renewables, natural gas, storage and hybrid systems, with emphasis on reliability, scalability and the ability of energy systems to support continuous industrial operations. Regional power integration and cross-border electricity trade will also feature prominently as potential routes to greater efficiency and lower costs.
The conference will further examine Africa’s critical-minerals opportunity and the energy challenge confronting efforts to move from exporting raw materials to domestic processing and manufacturing. Side events include a session on “Powering Africa’s Mineral Value Addition: Energy Systems, Regional Infrastructure and the Viability of Refining,” organised by ACEP and the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), with speakers including NRGI’s Amir Shafaie, Ministry of Finance Technical Advisor Theophilus Acheampong, Energy Growth Hub’s Rushaiya Ibrahim Tanko and Minerals Commission Minerals Economist Wisdom Puplampu.
The programme also brings the clean-energy economy, technology and jobs into focus. A joint ACEP-NRGI-Africa Policy Research Institute session will examine how Africa can move from deploying imported green technologies to building its own industries, skills and innovation ecosystems. Speakers include Serwah Prempeh, Chibuikem Agbaegbu, NRGI Ghana Country Manager Patrick Stephenson, Farmio co-founder Anaporka Adazabra and Open Capital’s Rasheeda Seghosime.
NRGI will also join ACEP for a discussion on “Beyond Resources: What Capabilities Must Africa Build to Compete in the Clean Energy Economy?”, featuring Global Witness Senior Civil Society Advisor Alaka Lugonzo, NRGI Africa Director Nafi Quarshie, AB&David Africa Senior Partner David Ofosu-Dorte and Energy Transitions Africa Executive Director Vincent Egoro.
Other discussions will tackle methane management, energy and mineral value addition, green technology innovation, youth employment and industrial competitiveness.
Beyond the policy conversations, the conference will host an Innovation and Investment Arena, bringing together innovators, investors, policymakers and businesses to showcase energy technologies and investment opportunities.
An Innovation Challenge will also give African entrepreneurs, researchers and engineers an opportunity to pitch solutions addressing energy transition, sustainable industrialisation, climate resilience and critical-mineral value addition. Eleven finalists have been shortlisted for the 2026 challenge.
With Africa seeking to industrialise while navigating energy insecurity, climate pressures, constrained public finances and growing demand for critical minerals, the ACEP conference is positioning energy not simply as a utility-sector issue but as the foundation of the continent’s industrial strategy.
The central test emerging from the two-day gathering will be whether African countries can translate their vast energy and mineral resources into competitive industries, jobs and value chains—or remain largely suppliers of raw materials to industries located elsewhere.
By: Christian Kpesese/ NR NEWS
