Let's Talk Energy Podcast

Africa's industrial ambitions will require significant investment in energy and infrastructure. But what separates projects that attract capital from those that struggle to reach financial close?

Hosted by Energy News Network (ENN) in partnership with The Electricity Hub, Let's Talk Energy speaks with Shirley Webber, Managing Principal, Coverage Head - Resources & Energy at Absa, about where financiers see opportunity across Africa's energy markets and what they need to see before committing capital.

From country and policy stability to clear offtake, sustainability and project viability, Shirley explores why financing decisions increasingly depend on understanding the entire value chain rather than looking at individual projects in isolation.

The conversation also looks at Africa's evolving energy mix and why industrialisation will require different solutions in different markets. For mining and other energy-intensive industries, reliable baseload, renewables, transmission infrastructure and battery storage could all have a role depending on local resources and demand.

And as more capital is mobilised within Africa, could closer collaboration between commercial banks and development finance institutions help move more projects from ambition to investment?

Zambia's electricity demand is rising, driven by mining, industrialisation, agriculture and urbanisation. But meeting that demand will require more than adding new generation. Power trading, transmission investment and stronger regional connections will all have a role to play.

Hosted by Energy News Network (ENN) in partnership with The Electricity Hub, Let's Talk Energy continues its series recorded live at the Africa Energy Forum 2026 in Cape Town with Martin Kasemuka, CEO of Lunzua Power Company.

The conversation looks at Zambia's evolving power market and why Kasemuka sees opportunity across the electricity value chain, from solar, hydro and thermal generation to transmission infrastructure and cross-border power trading.

With transmission constraints limiting how effectively electricity can move between surplus and deficit markets, Kasemuka discusses proposed connections with the DRC and links towards Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa, as well as the role trading can play in supporting new investment.

As Zambia's mining and industrial sectors expand, the episode asks a critical question: can generation, transmission and regional power trading grow quickly enough to keep pace with demand?

Some of Africa's greatest power deficits sit in markets international capital often considers too difficult. But does perceived risk always match the reality on the ground?

In the latest Let's Talk Energy podcast, hosted by Energy News Network (ENN) in partnership with The Electricity Hub, Matthew Fredericks, Mining & Energy Strategist at USP&E, challenges the conventional view of Africa's frontier energy markets.

Drawing on experience across Mali, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Togo and other complex jurisdictions, Matthew argues that these markets are not necessarily unworkable, but underserved by companies prepared to mobilise, operate and remain through difficult cycles.

The conversation explores what that means for investment. As private capital increasingly looks towards mining and industrial power, Matthew identifies captive and embedded generation, hybrid thermal-solar-storage systems, gas-to-power and brownfield rehabilitation as areas that could be overlooked by international investors.

But infrastructure alone is only part of the equation. From maintaining operations through political and commercial disruption to sharing risk with clients, Matthew explains why trust, technical breadth and what he calls "staying power" can become important components of bankability in frontier markets.

As investors reconsider where Africa's next infrastructure opportunities could emerge, the discussion asks whether some of the continent's most challenging markets may also be among its most underappreciated.

Can Private Power Markets Solve Africa's Industrial Energy Challenge?

As Africa's industries demand more reliable power, captive and embedded generation is moving from a back-up solution to a critical part of the continent's energy infrastructure.

In this episode of Let's Talk Energy, Vincenzia Leitich, Executive Vice President, Power & Renewables, Client Coverage at Standard Bank, discusses how the shift towards private power markets is changing the way energy projects are procured, financed and delivered across Africa.

The conversation explores the rise of corporate off takers, embedded generation and wheeling, and what lenders need to see before committing capital to long-term projects. From creditworthy counterparties and 20-year power purchase agreements to regulatory certainty, storage and grid connections, Vincenzia explains why the fundamentals of bankability remain critical even as project structures become more complex.

She also turns to one of the biggest constraints on further investment: transmission. With capital available for African power projects, expanding grids and cross-border interconnectors could be key to allowing new generation to reach industrial customers and opening the door to investment at greater scale.

Recorded at the Africa Energy Forum 2026 in Cape Town, the discussion asks what needs to happen next to create a power market capable of supporting Africa's industrial ambitions.

How does an energy project move from financing to infrastructure at the pace industrialisation demands?

Hosted by Energy News Network (ENN) in partnership with The Electricity Hub, Let's Talk Energy speaks with Vincent Nyirenda, Chief Projects Officer at Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC), in an episode recorded at the Africa Energy Forum 2026 in Cape Town.

At the centre of the conversation is Zambia's 136MW Itimpi II Solar PV Plant and the financing model behind its development.

Vincent discusses how CEC established a US$200 million green bond programme, supported by Zambia's financial and regulatory ecosystem and investment from local banks and pension funds. The financing demonstrates how domestic capital can support major energy infrastructure without relying on traditional sovereign guarantees.

The conversation goes beyond Itimpi II to examine Zambia's transition from a predominantly hydropower-based system towards a more diversified energy mix, the growing role of battery storage, and why reliable and affordable electricity will be critical to mining, beneficiation and wider industrial growth.

It is also a timely conversation ahead of the Zimbabwe-Zambia Energy Projects Summit (Zim-Zam) 2026, where CEC joins as Country Host and Itimpi II features among the Summit's investment highlights.

Taking place from 3–5 November 2026 in Livingstone, Zambia, Zim-Zam will examine how financing, partnerships and project delivery are translating regional ambition into infrastructure, including the agenda discussion "From Signature to Breaking Ground – How Financing Mechanisms are Keeping up with the Pace of Industrialisation."

Africa has some of the world's strongest renewable resources. The bigger opportunity may be in how that power is delivered.

Hosted by Energy News Network (ENN) in partnership with The Electricity Hub, Let's Talk Energy continues its series recorded live at the Africa Energy Forum 2026 in Cape Town with Zoisa North-Bond, CEO of Octopus Energy Generation.

For Zoisa, Africa has an opportunity to avoid some of the expensive legacy systems seen elsewhere and build power markets differently from the outset. That means looking beyond generation alone to the grid, battery storage, digital technology and, crucially, the end consumer.

The conversation explores the thinking behind Octopus Energy Power Africa, an initiative aiming to mobilise $450 million for African renewables, with an initial focus on the Southern African Power Pool. Zoisa argues that combining abundant solar and wind resources with storage and smarter grids could help deliver cheaper, more secure electricity while creating a stronger proposition for energy-intensive industries, including data centres.

The discussion also turns to Sierra Leone, where Octopus Energy is developing a hybrid wind, solar and battery project on Sherbro Island designed to bring electricity to 14,000 people for the first time. From refrigeration for the fishing industry to rice milling, Zoisa explains why affordable electricity can become a catalyst for entirely new economic activity.

Could Africa turn its renewable resources into one of its greatest industrial advantages?

Renewables are no longer just part of Africa's decarbonisation story. They are becoming central to how the continent powers mines, manufacturing, infrastructure and long-term economic growth.

Hosted by Energy News Network (ENN) in partnership with The Electricity Hub, Let's Talk Energy continues its series from the Africa Energy Forum 2026 with Vincenzia Leitich, Executive Vice President, Power & Renewables, Client Coverage, Standard Bank.

The conversation looks beyond standalone renewable projects to the rise of integrated energy systems combining generation, storage, transmission, gas flexibility and distributed power. Vincenzia explores how open-access markets, private-sector participation and mining demand are creating new investment models, while grid constraints, currency risk and utility bankability continue to complicate capital deployment.

With Africa holding some of the world's strongest renewable resources alongside rapidly growing power demand, the episode asks whether innovative finance, regulatory reform and deeper collaboration between governments and capital providers can turn the energy transition into a broader industrial growth story.

Battery storage is moving beyond emergency backup. For Africa's industries, mines and communities, it could become critical infrastructure.

Hosted by Energy News Network (ENN) in partnership with The Electricity Hub, Let's Talk Energy continues its series recorded at the Africa Energy Forum 2026 in Cape Town with Marius Harmse, Country Director at Tecloman.

The conversation explores how Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) can reduce exposure to unreliable grids and diesel generation, support renewable integration and give major power users greater control over when and how they consume electricity.

But the opportunity extends beyond reliability. Harmse argues that Africa should capture more of the battery value chain itself, from processing critical minerals to manufacturing components, developing local companies and creating jobs.

As storage moves from backup to backbone, the episode asks a bigger question: can Africa turn its energy challenge into an industrial opportunity?

Africa can add more megawatts. But if power cannot move reliably through the grid, industry cannot depend on it and investors cannot finance it at scale

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Hosted by Energy News Network (ENN) in partnership with The Electricity Hub, Let's Talk Energy speaks with Sindhura Swaminathan, Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright, in a conversation recorded around the Africa Energy Forum 2026 in Cape Town.

Sindhura argues that the investment conversation needs to move beyond generation capacity towards the power system itself. Transmission constraints, curtailment, weak utility creditworthiness and uncertain offtake can undermine otherwise viable projects, making grid stability as much a financing challenge as a technical one.

The conversation also looks at what a realistic pathway to industrialisation could require: renewables supported by battery storage and dispatchable generation, including gas, alongside stronger domestic grids and regional power pools.

For Sindhura, the measure of progress is ultimately trust. By 2035, success may depend less on how much renewable capacity Africa has installed and more on whether it has built reliable, predictable power systems that investors are prepared to finance at scale.

Africa's infrastructure challenge is often framed as a shortage of capital. But what if the bigger constraint comes before the money?

Hosted by Energy News Network (ENN) in partnership with The Electricity Hub, Let's Talk Energy continues its series recorded live at the Africa Energy Forum 2026 in Cape Town with Aida Sitdikova, Director and Head of Sustainable Infrastructure, Middle East and Africa at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

For Aida, infrastructure becomes a driver of industrialisation when it is treated not simply as an end result, but as a platform for economic growth. Power, grids and connections need to enable businesses to invest, industrial clusters to expand and trade to move more efficiently across borders.

That starts with policy. From weak PPA bankability and off-taker creditworthiness to tariff design and regulatory uncertainty, Aida argues that many of the barriers holding back capital are rooted in the conditions surrounding projects. Get the risk allocation and regulatory environment right, and private investment is far more likely to follow.

Looking towards 2035, the conversation turns to where the next opportunities could emerge: grid expansion, regional power interconnections, affordable renewable energy, battery storage and other system-level infrastructure capable of supporting a more connected and competitive African economy.