More than a conference, this gathering represents a strategic international engagement at a time when Angola is actively reshaping its economic future and positioning itself as one of Africa’s most compelling destinations for long-term investment in natural resources, infrastructure, and industrial development.

With sweeping reforms across the extractive sector, Angola is entering a new phase defined by transparency, regulatory modernisation, value addition, and international partnership. The country’s leadership is sending a clear message to global markets: Angola is open for investment and ready to build transformational partnerships that support sustainable growth and economic diversification.

The event will be headlined by H.E. Diamantino Azevedo, Minister for Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas of Angola, whose leadership since 2017 has been central to advancing Angola’s mineral and hydrocarbons agenda. Under his stewardship, Angola has accelerated institutional reform, strengthened governance frameworks, promoted private sector participation, and prioritised sustainable resource development.

As global demand intensifies for critical minerals, energy security, and resilient supply chains, Angola is uniquely positioned to become a strategic partner to international investors and industrial economies. The country’s vast untapped mineral wealth, significant oil and gas reserves, expanding infrastructure ambitions, and commitment to economic diversification present a rare investment window for global stakeholders.

Speaking ahead of the event, Veronica Bolton Smith, CEO of the Critical Minerals Africa Group said:

“Angola stands at a pivotal point in its national development. The reforms taking place across the country’s extractive sectors are creating unprecedented opportunities for responsible international investment and strategic partnership. This is not simply about resource development, it is about building long-term industrial growth, strengthening energy and mineral supply chains, and shaping Angola’s future as a globally competitive investment destination. We believe this moment represents one of the most important opportunities for international partners to engage with Angola’s leadership and participate in the country’s next chapter of economic transformation.”

The event is expected to attract a distinguished international audience, including sovereign representatives, institutional investors, mining and energy executives, infrastructure developers, development finance institutions, and strategic partners seeking direct engagement with Angola’s leadership.

Mataboge has been among the clearest African voices pushing back on the terms of the global energy transition debate. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2026, she challenged the prevailing narrative, arguing that baseload power is a non-negotiable prerequisite for African industrialization and that the continent cannot be assessed by the same benchmarks applied to economies that already have reliable electricity. Africa holds around 20% of the world’s identified uranium resources yet accounts for less than 1% of global nuclear electricity consumption, a disparity she has cited as emblematic of a broader pattern of resource wealth that has yet to translate into energy sovereignty.

Speaking in Cape Town in March, Mataboge noted that Africa has approximately 245 GW of installed generation capacity, while electricity consumption averages around 600 kWh per person per year, roughly five times below the global average. Closing the gap means connecting between 90 and 100 million additional people to electricity annually, requiring roughly $200 billion in annual investment by 2030 against a current annual investment level of approximately $45 billion.

Mataboge’s mandate at the AU is to build the institutional architecture that can begin to mobilize that capital at scale. She is overseeing the operationalization of the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM), which aims to integrate the continent’s fragmented regional power pools into a unified electricity market, alongside the Continental Power Systems Masterplan and the Ten-Year Infrastructure Investment Plan for Cross-Border Connectivity, the AU’s master pipeline for transmission and generation projects. These frameworks have been in development for years, but the challenge has been turning them into bankable propositions that attract private capital. At AEW 2026, that case will be made to the investors and developers who can act on it.

“Commissioner Mataboge is the institutional link between Africa’s continental energy ambitions and the investors and developers who can make them real,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Her message is clear – that Africa will not subordinate its development needs to external financing conditions that were never designed with this continent in mind. AEW is the right room to have that conversation, and the right moment.”

AEW 2026 – Africa’s premier energy event – convenes Africa’s foremost policymakers, financiers, developers and operators to advance the continent’s energy agenda. Commissioner Mataboge’s address will place the AU’s institutional framework, and the financing gap it is working to close, at center stage.

His participation comes at a time when African countries are seeking to mobilize significant capital to expand energy access and develop new generation capacity across renewables, natural gas and emerging green fuels, as more than 600 million people across the continent still lack access to electricity. At the same time, France is strengthening its engagement with African energy markets through a renewed 2026 strategy centered on climate finance, infrastructure partnerships and long-term industrial cooperation.

Africa’s energy transition represents one of the largest untapped opportunities globally. The continent holds an estimated 482,000 GW of solar potential, around 180,000 TWh of annual wind potential and roughly 10% of global hydropower resources, of which nearly 90% remains undeveloped. Africa is also positioning itself as a future hub for green hydrogen, with potential production capacity estimated at 30–60 million tons per year by 2050. Against this backdrop, France is increasingly shifting from project-level engagement toward supporting integrated energy systems that link domestic supply development with regional and export-oriented markets.

French investment in Africa’s renewable energy sector continues to expand through a combination of public financing, concessional lending and private sector participation. The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is playing a central role in scaling deployment, reducing risk for private investors and supporting transmission and grid infrastructure. Through its African Renewable Energy Scale-Up Program, AFD provides between €20 million and €100 million per project, supporting solar, wind and geothermal developments across multiple markets, including Mauritania, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

Beyond financing, French energy companies remain among the most active international developers in Africa’s power sector. EDF power solutions is targeting a fivefold increase in its renewable energy portfolio on the continent between 2024 and 2026, with ambitions to reach 3 GW of installed capacity in the near term.

ENGIE continues to expand its presence across wind, solar, desalination, battery storage and green hydrogen projects, while TotalEnergies is advancing integrated energy developments across markets including Mozambique, South Africa, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Rwanda and Uganda – reflecting France’s growing footprint in Africa’s broader energy diversification landscape.

“Africa’s renewable energy potential represents an opportunity not only for French companies, but also for strengthening Europe’s long-term energy security through electricity and green fuel trade,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “AEW provides a key platform for aligning investment strategies, harmonizing policy approaches and building mutually beneficial partnerships between Africa and France.”

Beyond renewables, France is supporting long-term nuclear energy development across Africa as part of a diversified energy mix. As one of the world’s leading nuclear power producers, it is working to strengthen institutional and technical capacity through initiatives such as the INSC Africa program, which supports countries including South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria in developing regulatory frameworks, safety systems and workforce training.