Public sector involvement required to drive emerging market needs
The EAPIC took place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Kenya from 27-28 August 2015.
"There is a distinct willingness from African governments to drive investment and solve energy challenges of their respective country, such as the emerging gas landscape on the Eastern Coast of Africa," noted Aurelia van Eeden, Energy & Environment Business Unit leader at Frost & Sullivan.
Van Eeden delivered a presentation that identified key African gas infrastructure trends influencing gas and associated markets on the African continent. Gas infrastructure investment opens up substantial opportunities to companies on a global level and significantly alters the competitive structure of industries in which companies operate, including the players within them."
Significant opportunities
"In a recent project completed at Frost & Sullivan, we identified tremendous opportunity for gas infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa over the next 20 years," stated van Eeden. "The largest opportunities for gas are anticipated to originate from countries like Nigeria, Mozambique, Tanzania, Ghana, Cote D'Ivoire and South Africa.
"The investment opportunity for these top six countries, evaluated from an engineering and project management perspective, totals approximately $12,6bn, with a total number gas power opportunities increasing to as much as $212bn."
Other highlights from the conference included the panel discussion on 'Stimulating Investment: Underpinning of a Stable Economic Environment', which focussed on access to finance in order to ensure that energy projects on multiple levels and associated sectors become bankable.
The executive panel on 'The Big Debate: Is Renewable Energy the Solution to Universal Access to Affordable Energy?' was also of particular interest to the delegates as it highlighted the current and future role of renewable energy, as well as the the opportunity to fast track certain technology types within the African energy environment.
