The Association of Power Utilities of Africa has issued a strong appeal to African nations, urging them to prioritize energy investment as a crucial step towards achieving widespread electrification and fostering industrial growth.
The call was made during the Utilities Chief Executive Officers summit held in Lilongwe, where industry leaders convened to discuss the current challenges, potential opportunities, and future prospects of the electricity utilities sector.
Highlighting the present struggles faced by many African utilities, Henry Paul Batchi, the Director of Power Systems Development at the African Development Bank, emphasized the urgent need for a sustainable and transformative approach to address these issues.
“Many African Utilities are struggling, but we have an approach called sustainable utility transformation and we support countries on governance on the policy level, integrated risk costs, power sector planning, power sector reforms and financial sustainability” said Batchi.
He underscored the importance of energy transition, particularly citing the impact of recent events such as the temporary loss of a dam in Malawi.
Engaging in the conversation, Engineer William Liabunya, the Chief Executive Officer of the Electricity Generation Company, emphasized the significance of energy transition in the current landscape.
While acknowledging the renewable nature of hydro-based energy in the country, Liabunya highlighted the vulnerability of hydroelectric power plants to climate change.
He disclosed the company’s plans to diversify energy sources by considering alternative locations for power stations, expanding to areas beyond the Shire River.
“We are looking at changing the positions of those power stations, so that we no longer concentrate on Shire River, we look at other areas in the center and in the north with hydro as well, but we are also looking at solar as well as geothermal” added Liabunya.
Echoing these sentiments, Engineer Abel Tella, the Director General of the Association of Power Utilities of Africa, emphasized that the continent possesses abundant resources necessary to achieve universal access to energy.
However, Tella stressed the importance of framing adequate financing structures, along with strong political and legal instruments, to facilitate the desired energy transformation.
The Electricity Generation Company is hosting the 57th Association of Power Utilities of Africa annual meetings in Malawi’s capital city.
The meeting has brought together power utilities in Africa , Regional and foreign organizations to contribute to the development of the African electricity sector.