Download the Abuja Action Plan on Sustainable Hydropower Development in Africa

Africa needs energy to drive its development. The region has a low electrification rate, resulting in a significant gap between the supply of electricity and the demand from its growing population.  

Developing Africa’s untapped hydropower potential supports the energy transition in the region as pressure ramps up in the move away from fossil fuels and towards exploiting cheaper more sustainable renewable technologies. The continent has the world’s largest untapped hydropower resource, with only 10% of the region’s potential harnessed. We need more, better and faster hydropower to drive Africa's development.

The International Hydropower Association (IHA) along with co-hosts Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd, The African Development Bank (AfDB), Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) and The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Power (MOP) bring you two events this spring focused on progressing sustainable hydropower in Africa.

The first, co hosted by IHA and Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd will be a company roundtable gathering senior representatives from Africa's energy industry to discuss what can be done to increase hydropower development in Africa (15 May).

A high-level roundtable will follow, co-hosted by IHA, The African Development Bank (AfDB), The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) and The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Power (MOP) and will gather Ministers of Energy from across Africa accompanied by senior policy-makers from government, funding institutions and key energy companies to discuss hydropower’s importance in the energy transition (15-16 May).

Agenda

Please note. These events are by invitation only. If you would like to find out more about the event, including opportunities to sponsor, please email: membership@hydropower.com

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This week, the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance will be running Certified User training on 13-15 May at the Palms Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria. The training will provide lessons on how to enhance sustainability performance of hydropower projects and align with international best practices in ESG. Attendees will gain in-depth knowledge of the Hydropower Sustainability Standard and explore how projects in Africa can attract private sector financing. Participants attending HydroPOWER Africa Week are eligible for a 10% discount.

Secure your spot by registering on the training webpage or contact HSA at training@hs-alliance.org.

More information

Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd (MESL) will co-host the Company Roundtable and be a national partner for the High-Level Roundtable. MESL specialises in hydropower generation. The company is the concession of the Kainji Hydro Electric Company, comprising the Kainji hydroelectric plant (760 MW) and the Jebba hydroelectric plant (578.4 MW). Mainstream won the bid to take over the $1.3B Zungeru Power Plant from the federal government, making MESL the largest hydropower company in Africa with above 2,000 MW.

The African Development Bank will co-host the high-level roundtable with IHA and the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Power. It is a multilateral institution whose objective is to contribute to the sustainable economic development and social progress of the African countries. The African Development Bank Group comprises three entities: the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). Two of its main priorities are to light up and power Africa, and to industrialise Africa.

AfDB Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) is a multi-donor trust fund designed to accelerate sustainable energy investments in Africa. SEFA focuses on "first-of-a-kind" projects as well as market-building activities. SEFA has championed clean energy solutions to alleviate African inequality and poverty while addressing climate change concerns. SEFA's mandate aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal for Energy, SDG7, which calls for affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030, and with the Paris Agreement. Helping Africa achieve these goals is SEFA's mission.

The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Power (MOP) is the policy making arm of the Federal Government with the responsibility of expediting national development by providing policies, systems and structures which ensure delivery of reliable, functional and cost-effective power supply to Nigerians. The Ministry is guided by the provisions of the National Electric Power Policy (NEPP) of 2001, the Electric Power Sector Reform (EPSR) Act of 2005, the Roadmap for Power Sector Reform of August 2010 and the Electricity Act 2023.

Hear IHA Chair, Anton-Louis Olivier discuss the opportunities of hydropower development in Africa.

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