Meeting Africa’s Energy Challenge – Webcast

Friday, October 12, 2012
2:30 – 4 p.m., Tokyo
05:30 – 07:00 GMT or convert time

Infrastructure is a critical enabler of growth in Africa. The absence of sufficient power supply is a major impediment to doing business and needs to be addressed to sustain current robust growth.

Addressing Africa’s infrastructure challenges is expected to cost $93 billion per year over a decade, split evenly between new investment and maintenance. This is more than twice the $45 billion African countries currently spend.

Meeting the investment needs will require contribution and coordination among several players including public and private investors.

On October 12, a panel of African, Japanese and European experts debated the best ways to close Africa’s energy gap, including the roles the public and private sectors and civil society could play.

Headlined Speakers:
Makhtar Diop , Vice President, Africa Region, World Bank Group
Fumiko Hayashi , Mayor, City of Yokohama, Japan

Panelists:

  • Olu Ajakaiye, Executive Chairman, African Centre for Shared Development Capacity Building, Nigeria
  • Elham Ibrahim, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, African Union Commission, Ethiopia
  • Yoshihiro Inoue, Executive Officer, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Japan
  • Andris Piebalgs, Commissioner for Development, European Commission, Belgium
  • Admassu Tadesse, President, Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank, Kenya
  • Akihiko Tanaka, President, JICA, Japan

Moderator: Jamal Saghir, Director, Sustainable Development Department, Africa Region, World Bank Group

The event, hosted by the World Bank and the Government of Japan, is part of the Annual Meetings. Watch the archived video of the event below.