CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 17, 2026/APO Group/ –The year 2026 is shaping up to be a defining year for African energy. Amid shifting geopolitics, intensifying trade disputes and the global push to diversify supply chains, international partners are increasingly turning toward Africa as a strategic energy anchor. At the same time, continent-wide regulatory reform, new oil and gas discoveries and strengthened global alliances have significantly enhanced Africa’s competitiveness, positioning it as one of the most attractive destinations for foreign energy capital in today’s climate.

 

At this pivotal moment, the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies Conference & Exhibition emerges as the continent’s most consequential energy platform – for international investors seeking new entry points, for African governments engaging global partners and for indigenous companies expanding their regional and global footprint. Taking place October 12-16, 2026 in Cape Town, AEW’s newly launched Draft 2026 program reflects the urgency, scale and opportunity defining Africa’s current energy trajectory.

“Africa’s energy sector is rising with confidence on the global stage. From upstream expansion to downstream industrialization and power generation, the continent is no longer waiting on the sidelines – it is shaping global energy markets. AEW: Invest in African Energies provides the platform where African voices, African projects and African solutions take center stage,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.

Global Realignment Meets African Resources

With over 125 billion barrels of crude reserves, 620 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and abundant solar, wind and hydropower potential, Africa has long-been an attractive destination for international energy companies. Yet despite this resource base, the continent’s energy finance gap remains between $31 billion and $50 billion – constraining project execution, delaying infrastructure rollout and limiting the pace at which Africa can translate resource wealth into industrial growth and universal energy access. But this trajectory is already shifting. Global efforts to diversify supply chains, strengthened fiscal and legal terms across Africa and a rise in strong and capable domestic partners has transformed the continent from merely attractive to increasingly competitive.

Recent moves reflect this. In the oil sector, licensing rounds in Libya, Angola, Nigeria, Algeria have opened new acreage for major players while strategic divestment has created space for local and regional players to expand. In the gas sector, the launch of large-scale LNG facilities – including Congo LNG Phase 2, Greater Tortue Ahmeyim and the resumption of Mozambique LNG – underscores the potential for billion-dollar projects. Renewable energy is also taking shape. Over 13 GW of utility-scale solar and wind is under development while green hydrogen production could reach 50 million tons per annum by 2035. As capital competition intensifies and global markets seek secure, diversified energy supply, AEW 2026 arrives at a decisive moment – providing the platform where this resource strength, reform momentum and investor appetite converge into actionable partnerships and project financing.

Strategic Positioning, Five-Stage Program

Reflecting Africa’s mandate of attracting global capital while strengthening domestic energy systems, AEW 2026 is structured around a five-stage program designed to address the full energy value chain. The AEW Town Hall will convene senior policymakers, regulators and private-sector leaders in a high-level roundtable format aimed at aligning fiscal regimes, scaling indigenous operators and accelerating the shift from resource extraction to industrialization. Country spotlights will showcase active licensing rounds, regulatory reforms and investment pipelines across key markets.

With over $20 billion required for refining infrastructure and billions more needed for storage, petrochemicals and gas-to-power integration, the Energy Finance & Downstream Summit will examine the dual bottlenecks of capital access and underdeveloped value chains. The Upstream E&P Forum will spotlight new gas frontiers through 2035, marginal field development, transboundary collaboration and high-impact drilling campaigns.

The Powering Africa Forum addresses the continent’s electrification challenge directly, examining grid expansion, renewable integration, utility reform and the rise of energy-intensive industries such as data centers. With electricity demand projected to rise sharply through 2030, this track positions power infrastructure as both a social necessity and a major investment opportunity. Finally, the Energy Additions Forum underscores Africa’s pragmatic approach to energy security – responsibly developing hydrocarbons alongside renewables. Together, these stages position AEW not simply as a conference, but as a structured marketplace for policy alignment, capital allocation and project acceleration.

Technical Dialogue, Commercial Outcomes

As capital becomes increasingly selective and investors prioritize technical certainty alongside fiscal stability, detailed subsurface intelligence and operational efficiency are no longer secondary considerations – they are core investment criteria. AEW 2026’s technical platforms – The Drill Room and The Innovation Hub – are therefore positioned not as side discussions, but as critical forums for evaluating risk, cost structures and commercial viability across Africa’s emerging and established basins.

The Drill Room will focus on translating geological potential into economically recoverable resources, while the Innovation Hub will address the growing role of technology in strengthening Africa’s energy competitiveness. By grounding technical dialogue in commercial outcomes, AEW 2026 frames geology, engineering and digital innovation as essential pillars of investment confidence – reinforcing the link between subsurface potential and capital deployment.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, February 17, 2026/APO Group/ –Against a backdrop of stalled progress, declining international funding, and intensifying threats, African Heads of State and Government today issued a unified call for a new era of malaria financing at the 39th African Union Summit in Ethiopia. The African Union Malaria Progress Report 2025, presented by President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko of the Republic of Botswana and Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) (www.ALMA2030.org), warns that without urgent action, the continent risks losing decades of hard-won gains against the disease.

Urgent action required as perfect storm intensifies

The 2025 report reveals that African Union Member States accounted for 270.8 million malaria cases (96% of the global total) and 594,119 deaths (97% of the global total) in 2024. Progress has stalled since 2015, and only five Member States have achieved the 2025  Catalytic Framework targets for reducing malaria incidence or mortality by 75%. These targets are part of the AU Catalytic Framework to End AIDS, TB and Eliminate Malaria in Africa by 2030.

The report warns that a 30% reduction in funding will result in 640 million fewer insecticide-treated nets, 146 million additional malaria cases, 397,000 additional deaths (75% among children under five), and a loss of $37 billion in GDP by 2030. Without urgent action, the report warns that malaria could resurge significantly, with cases potentially exceeding 400 million per year and deaths surpassing one million annually.

“The perfect storm of converging crises threatening malaria elimination has intensified. Official Development Assistance for health in Africa has declined by 70% in just four years, and the Eighth Replenishment of the Global Fund fell significantly short of its $18 billion target. We cannot allow these challenges to reverse decades of progress that have prevented 1.64 billion cases and saved 12.4 million lives since 2000.”

~ President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko, Republic of Botswana, Chair of ALMA

A new era of financing as Africa takes the lead

In response to the funding crisis, African leaders reaffirmed their commitment to domestic resource mobilisation, innovative financing and the development of national health financing sustainability plans. The report highlights that End Malaria Councils and Funds in 12 countries have now mobilised over $200 million through public-private partnerships, demonstrating the power of multisectoral collaboration. Establishing public-private partnerships is essential for delivering sustainable financing. These partnerships can unlock new investments, propelling progress not only toward malaria elimination but also toward universal health coverage. A whole-of-society approach, engaging the private sector, philanthropic foundations, high-net-worth individuals and the diaspora through a public private health accelerator, will reinforce domestic commitments and deliver a win-win partnership.

Countries across the continent are stepping up with increased domestic financing commitments for malaria in 2025. Leaders called on global partners to honour their commitments, renew the World Bank’s Malaria Booster Programme, and align support with national strategies. The original World Bank Malaria Booster Programme (2005-2010) committed over $1 billion with transformative results. Today, African leaders are urging a renewed programme to close funding gaps, deploy next-generation tools, strengthen community health worker programmes, and build climate-resilient health systems. Investing in malaria in this way will also strengthen primary health care, making our health systems more resilient to shock and put us on a path to defeating other health challenges such as neglected tropical diseases.

“Our approach has spanned the full spectrum of what it takes to beat this disease. Tanzania has invested in world-class research and is home to the Ifakara Health Institute, where our scientists are working at the frontier of new technologies, including gene drive–an innovative approach that aims to ensure mosquitoes can no longer transmit the malaria parasite. This is African science, conducted by African researchers, addressing an African challenge.”

~ H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania

New, powerful next-generation tools gaining ground

Despite the challenges, the report highlights significant progress in deploying innovative tools. In 2025, 74% of insecticide-treated nets distributed across Africa were next-generation dual active-ingredient nets, up from just 20% in 2023. These nets are 45% more effective than pyrethroid-only nets against resistant mosquitoes.

Twenty-four countries have now introduced WHO-approved malaria vaccines for children under five, with 28.3 million doses distributed in 2025, up from 10.5 million in 2024. Additionally, WHO prequalified two spatial repellent products in 2025, marking the first new vector control intervention introduced in decades. A record 22 countries planned to implement seasonal malaria chemoprevention in 2025. The malaria innovation pipeline remains stronger than ever.

Promoting health sovereignty through local manufacturing

Leaders emphasised the importance of local manufacturing to ensure affordability, access, and supply chain resilience. Currently, Africa imports 99% of vaccines and 95% of medicines. The report highlights that Nigeria has entered into partnerships for local production of antimalarial treatments and rapid diagnostic tests, and is working to establish the first Africa-manufactured next-generation nets.

The African Medicines Agency, with 31 countries now ratified, and Regional Economic Communities are harmonising regulatory frameworks to accelerate the registration of new commodities across the continent.

“Full deployment of existing and new tools, combined with full funding, could save over 13.2 million lives over the next 15 years and boost African economies by over $140 billion. Every dollar invested in the Global Fund delivers $19 in returns. We have the tools. We need the resources.”

~ Dr. Michael Adekunle Charles, CEO, RBM Partnership to End Malaria

What must be done

The Heads of State and Government issued a clear call to action, urging all Member States to treat malaria as a central pillar of health sovereignty and economic transformation, protect and increase domestic and external funding, and fully implement the priorities of the Catalytic Framework through a Big Push Against Malaria.

Leaders called on international partners to fulfil commitments, align support with national strategies, and invest in the tools and systems that will secure a malaria-free future. They emphasised that the path ahead is challenging. Nevertheless, with determined leadership, the smart use of data, and sustained investment, Africa can bend the curve towards elimination and ensure that future generations grow up free from the threat of malaria.

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, February 16, 2026/APO Group/ –Melvin Bouva, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation of Suriname, has been confirmed as a keynote speaker at Caribbean Energy Week (CEW 2026), taking place from 30 March to 1 April 2026 in Paramaribo. His participation signals high-level support at a pivotal stage in the country’s transition from exploration frontier to offshore producer, reinforcing government commitment to investor engagement and long-term sector development.

The keynote will provide direct insight into Suriname’s policy coordination, international partnerships and capital-mobilization strategy as the country advances toward first offshore oil in 2028. Central to this trajectory is the GranMorgu development in Block 58 – led by TotalEnergies and APA Corporation – targeting roughly 220,000 barrels per day, with construction of a floating production vessel already underway and state firm Staatsolie holding a 20% stake. Bouva’s address is expected to detail how Suriname is aligning foreign policy, fiscal certainty and state participation to advance first oil timelines and unlock follow-on upstream investment.

Gas monetization is emerging as a parallel strategic pillar. Malaysia’s PETRONAS declared the Sloanea discovery in Block 52 commercial in late 2025, with a final investment decision anticipated in 2026 and first gas targeted around 2030 via floating LNG. The Minister’s remarks are therefore expected to frame how foreign policy, infrastructure planning and market access converge to enable both oil production and future gas exports.

“Suriname is moving from discovery to execution, where investor confidence will depend on clear policy signals and disciplined project delivery,” states Sandra Jeque, Project Director at Energy Capital & Power. “Minister Bouva’s keynote brings the government’s strategic lens to that transition – showing how diplomacy, financing and regulation are being aligned to bring the country’s first offshore production online and sustain long-term upstream growth.”

Beyond hydrocarbons, Suriname is strengthening its macro-investment narrative through international financial cooperation, including recent debt-relief arrangements and expanding ties with partners across Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. As one of the world’s few carbon-negative countries, Suriname is also leveraging its High-Forest, Low-Deforestation profile to access climate finance – positioning energy development alongside environmental credibility in discussions with global investors.

Hosted at the Royal Torarica Hotel, CEW 2026 convenes regional governments, operators and financiers at a defining moment for Caribbean energy. Bouva’s confirmed keynote underscores institutional readiness and strategic alignment behind Suriname’s offshore projects – offering stakeholders a clear signal of policy continuity as capital deployment accelerates.

Join us in shaping the future of Caribbean energy. To participate in this landmark event, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.