African policymakers, financiers and energy executives have issued urgent calls for accelerated investment and regulatory stability at the G20 Africa Energy Investment Forum in Johannesburg, setting the stage for deal making at an upcoming Paris summit.
The forum, organized by the African Energy Chamber, took place on 21 November 2025 at the Southern Sun Sandton. Participants emphasized that the continent’s energy transition depends on large scale financing, reliable transport networks and industrial capacity.
Speakers across multiple sessions stressed that Africa’s energy transition cannot proceed without large scale financing, received industrial capacity and reliable transport and power networks. The Johannesburg gathering served as a staging ground for more detailed investment discussions expected at the Invest in African Energies Summit scheduled for Paris from 22 to 23 April 2026.
South Africa emerged as a focal point for infrastructure revival plans. Godfrey Moagi, Chief Executive Officer of the South African National Petroleum Company, discussed refinery modernization and supply chain resilience. The country is working to revive refining capacity, with the majority of refineries currently offline.
Government officials confirmed a fast tracked gas strategy responding to declining imports from Mozambique. The plans include liquefied natural gas import terminals, pipeline rehabilitation and accelerated licensing to secure alternative sources and develop domestic reserves.
Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa stressed that Africa’s energy future hinges on building transmission capacity that can unlock cross border trade and industrial growth. He called for investment models treating African states as equal partners rather than passive recipients, with emphasis on value addition for critical minerals.
Forum participants identified structural weaknesses constraining development. Speakers cited unreliable transmission networks, bottlenecked ports, aging rail lines and slow permitting as barriers to investment. Power intensive sectors including mining, manufacturing, green hydrogen and data centers were highlighted as immediate casualties of grid instability.
NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber, emphasized that Africa sits on 400 billion dollars in pension funds that must be channeled into closing the energy deficit. Participants urged pension funds, sovereign investors and African financial institutions to play larger roles in financing energy, manufacturing and logistics projects.
The discussions underscored the need for predictable regulatory environments and well prepared project pipelines to attract institutional investment at scale. Several panelists emphasized that Africa will not close its infrastructure gap through concessional loans and aid alone.
The IAE 2026 Summit in Paris will provide two days of in depth engagement between industry experts, project developers, investors and policymakers. Gas, refining, clean cooking and liquefied petroleum gas infrastructure will be central themes as delegates explore how domestic and international capital can address grid, transport and permitting constraints while driving industrial growth.
The Johannesburg forum positions the continent for deal focused engagement at the Paris summit, where many participants expect to convert discussions into concrete partnerships ahead of African Energy Week.
