One of the leading energy companies in Nigeria, the Sahara Group, has called for a new approach to Africa’s energy transition, infrastructure financing and energy journalism.
Speaking at the third edition of Asharami Square, Sahara Group’s thought leadership platform on Wednesday in Lagos, the Director of Governance and Sustainability, Sahara Group, Ejiro Gray, urged governments, investors, policymakers and the media to focus on practical solutions that reflect the continent’s unique realities.
Gray stated that the company’s Beyond XXX vision is focused on shaping the future through innovation, collaboration and sustainable development.
According to Gray, Africa’s energy transition must be driven by local needs and supported by balanced, evidence-based journalism.
“Effective journalism should not only tell us what happened; it should help us understand why it matters, whose interests are affected and what perspectives are missing from the conversation,” Gray said.
Delivering the keynote address, the Special Adviser to the Nigerian President on Power Infrastructure, Mr. Sadiq Wanka, said that Nigeria’s ongoing power sector reforms were creating significant investment opportunities across embedded generation, mini-grids, renewable energy, transmission infrastructure and industrial power.
According to him, the biggest challenge is no longer technology but attracting long-term investment.
“The issue is no longer technology. The real challenge is mobilising capital at scale, structuring bankable opportunities and creating an ecosystem that attracts long-term financing,” Wanka said.
He urged journalists to pay closer attention to energy policies, reforms and their impact on economic development.
Meanwhile, the panelists at the event, who discussed “Who is Financing Africa’s Energy Future?” agreed that Africa has sufficient capital to support infrastructure development.
They, however, said that stronger governance, investor confidence and better-prepared projects were essential to unlock financing.
GIK/APA