The partnership between the City of Cape Town and the AEI 2022, further reinforces the symposium’s status as the foremost energy event of its kind

Africa Energy Indaba (AEI) 2022, scheduled for the 1st – 3rd of March, in partnership with the City of Cape Town, is set to assemble a host of influential global and local sectoral players. The conference promises to provide participants with the ideal platform for networking, engagement, and deal-making and is anticipated to be an event of revolutionary proportions for both the African energy sector and the regional economy, promoting tourism, driving job creation, and initiating a much-needed economic recovery. To further fortify the event’s success, the City of Cape Town has officially partnered with AEI 2022, furnishing pivotal support for the continent’s cardinal event.

AEI 2022 has accorded priority to Africa’s position in the global energy transition debate, enabling synergetic dialogue pertaining to the continent’s advancement towards renewable energy investment and development. Accordingly, the City of Cape Town remains at the helm of the nation’s climate strategy, having underscored renewable energy utilisation in its quest to minimise the impacts of climate change. As such, the city’s climate change strategy, which strives “to become a city that is climate resilient, resource efficient and lower carbon, in order to enable sustainable and inclusive economic and social development, and environmental sustainability,” is making significant strides in mitigating emissions and driving renewable elevations.

Aiming to realise carbon neutrality by 2050, the city is proactively incentivising independent power producers, ultimately driving clean power generation, distribution, and utilisation. Furthermore, in its endeavour to prepare for an inverter-based grid, the city is enabling tariff and business model development and technical provisions. The city purports to promote the emergence of a hydrogen economy, acknowledging the pivotal role the resource is set to play within the transport and manufacturing sectors. AEI 2022 will assist in powering this target, hosting profound debates focused on the immense growth potential in the hydrogen space, whilst considering the escalating demand and global focus on carbon footprint reduction and enhanced energy security.

The City of Cape Town is not only a high-performance, African business hub that promotes big ideas and innovation, but prioritises inclusivity striving to create a safe, sustainable, vibrant urban environment for future generations. Its expanding skills market gives rise to extensive work and investment opportunities. Moreover, the city is hailed one of the globe’s top tourist destinations and possesses all the attributes that appeal to people seeking the ideal city in which to live, work, play and invest. Additionally, the region comprises a myriad of national business heads with a booming knowledge economy. 

The Invest Cape Town initiative is one of many examples of the city’s commitment to creating a platform that contributes to the increased awareness, attractiveness, and competitiveness of the city as an ideal place to do business. Its mission is to attract and retain foreign direct investment which is of strategic importance to the economic development of Cape Town and the nation at large.

Dubbed the ‘Mother City’, Cape Town is ranked amongst the world’s top tourism destinations. Pre-COVID, 10 979 946 million passenger arrivals and departures were recorded by Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) in 2019. As international travel continues to open up for international travelers, the AEI 2022 will be momentous in fostering a post-pandemic recovery in the city of Cape Town. Moreover, delegates attending the event will be presented with opportunities that extend far beyond the AEI 2022.  

Executive Mayor of Cape Town Geordin Hill Lewis states, "The City of Cape Town is on track to become the only South African city with a reliable, affordable and environmentally-conscious electricity supply. There could not have been a better choice of location for this year's African Energy Indaba, and we are honoured to welcome energy experts from around the continent and the world to the Mother City.  We are excited to draw on the expertise — and the ideas presented — at the Indaba to inform our own process of ending loadshedding, diversifying our energy mix, and driving action to combat climate change. In addition, we are eager to explore opportunities in the oil, gas, and hydrogen economies as we work towards rapid but sustainable economic growth in Cape Town. The City expects the AEI 2022 to be an important episode in this ongoing programme of action."

The partnership between the City of Cape Town and the AEI, further reinforces the symposium’s status as the foremost energy event of its kind. The conference is resolute in ensuring that the city fully realises the opportunities transpiring from the event and is anticipated to be even more successful than initially envisaged.

AEI 2022 is set to unify stakeholders of the continent’s energy realm with investors and global consorts to ignite industry growth and development, thereby advocating Africa as a prime destination for energy investments.