Sahara Group Calls for New Approach to Africa's Energy Financing

Sahara Group is urging a fundamental shift in how Africa's energy sector is financed, advocating for stronger governance, enhanced investor confidence, and meticulously prepared projects to attract necessary capital for the continent's energy transition.

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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.

Speaking at the third edition of Sahara Group's thought leadership initiative, Asharami Square, participants stressed that while technology is no longer the primary barrier, mobilizing capital at scale is the critical challenge. Reforms in Nigeria's electricity sector, including opportunities in embedded generation, mini-grids, renewable energy, and transmission infrastructure, are creating investment prospects. However, structuring bankable opportunities and fostering an ecosystem that attracts long-term financing are essential.

Ejiro Gray, Director of Governance and Sustainability at Sahara Group, called for a future-oriented approach to Africa's energy development, emphasizing that it must be shaped by local realities. She also advocated for more balanced and evidence-based journalism that critically examines the complexities of energy transition, development, and sustainability, urging reporters to go beyond surface-level reporting.

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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.

Panellists agreed that Africa possesses significant capital pools but unlocking them requires improved governance and investor confidence. They highlighted the need for rigorous, solutions-focused reporting that delves deeper into policy reforms, investment opportunities, and implementation outcomes. The discussion underscored that effective journalism should not only report events but also explain their significance, the interests involved, and any missing perspectives in the energy conversation.

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Energy reporting must go beyond headline events and announcements. Journalists need to ask deeper questions, examine the evidence and connect policy decisions to their impa