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Anticipation builds for Africa Energy Forum 2026, as registration opens for a ‘turning point’ gathering of stakeholders
This year’s Africa Energy Forum, to be held in Dubai across 16-19 June under the theme “Building Africa’s Industrialised Future”, will capture a turning point in narrative and ambition, as the African energy conversation moves from policy to projects, from basic access to industrial-grade reliability and scale.
For decades, the language of development centred on access to grid connections, basic supply, and incremental gains, say the organisers of the Africa Energy Forum, a premier annual international investment gathering of thousands of senior stakeholders in Africa’s power, energy, infrastructure, and industrial sectors.
“But as global demand for minerals, manufacturing capacity and digital infrastructure accelerates, that narrative is no longer enough.”
The 28th Africa Energy Forum, to be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre across 16-19 June 2026, will mark a decisive shift in the continent's energy narrative, say organisers: “from megawatts to manufacturing, from extraction to value creation, from ambition to delivery”. A shift to “Building Africa’s Industrialised Future”.
That defining theme will anchor the 28th edition of the Africa Energy Forum, bringing energy, critical minerals, transmission, finance, and technology into a single, integrated conversation all in one place. Registration is now live for this year’s event.
As demand for strategic minerals accelerates and global supply chains are redrawn, the focus moves beyond generation targets to a more fundamental question, say organisers: how Africa powers mines, processing facilities, digital infrastructure, and industrial corridors to meet the seemingly insatiable needs of an AI-oriented future.
At this year’s Africa Energy Forum, a dedicated mines & energy stream will provide attendees with critical insights on why captive power, grid expansion and transport infrastructure will become the vanguard for nations looking to avoid the challenges of the past, ensuring resources translate into long-term economic growth.
At the same time, there will be deeper dialogue around sovereign capital, blended finance, risk mitigation, and AI-driven efficiency to reflect the practical tools required to make large-scale infrastructure bankable and scalable for the continent.
All hosted in Dubai, a city shaped by pragmatic ambition, and a region from which billions of dollars of investment are flowing into key African projects.
“The UAE’s transformation from a resource exporter to a diversified industrial powerhouse demonstrates what long-term vision, infrastructure investment, and sovereign capital can deliver,” say Africa Energy Forum organisers. “With Middle Eastern investors now among the largest financiers of African energy and infrastructure, the Africa–Middle East axis is central to this next chapter.”
The 2026 Africa Energy Forum agenda reflects this shifting reality, featuring new closed-door leadership dialogue, expanded focus on transmission and baseload, critical minerals and pit-to-port corridors, regional fireside conversations, and a dedicated Africa–Middle East stream.
For more information on the Africa Energy Forum 2026, to be held in Dubai across 16-19 June, including this year’s agenda and how to register, visit here.