The digital transformation of sub-Saharan electricity networks: Smart Grids for sustainable cities
Practical information
Affordable and reliable electricity access is a prerequisite for the development of sustainable cities in sub-Saharan Africa. Improving the financial and operational viability of the region’s power sectors is a prerequisite for the multiplication of solar projects.
In this regard, the digital transformation taking place in Africa and which affects all segments of the electricity sector value chain, offers many opportunities. It should enable obsolete sub-Saharan networks to evolve towards smart grids. However, these developments will not be straightforward. This webinar will discuss how networks can be improved in the short-term while facilitating their gradual evolution towards smart grids.
Speakers:
- Oumar Sylla, Acting Director Regional Office for Africa, UN-Habitat
- Nat-Sy Missamou, Energy Director, Orange Middle East and Africa
- Moussa Bagayoko, General Director, Yélé Consulting
- Shawn Papi, Senior Technologist Smart Metering, Eskom
- Anthony Mburu, General Director & Founder, Enerstore Africa
Chair: Hugo Le Picard, Research Fellow, Center for Energy & Climate, Ifri
Webinar held in English from 15:00 to 17:00 CEST.
The day prior to the debate, registered participants will receive the link to join the session.
Find out more
Solar Power in Sub-Saharan Africa after COVID-19: Healing the Ills of the Sector
The electrification of sub-Saharan Africa is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. It is essential if we are to succeed in creating the 20 million jobs each year necessary to absorb the demographic growth of the region,[1] which is set to have 2.1 billion inhabitants in 2050, compared to 1.1 billion today.[2]
Other events
Assessing the Balance of Power between Europe and Russia
The evolving U.S. strategic posture and the intensification of the war in Ukraine are reshaping the security landscape in Europe. This context calls for a clear assessment of the balance of power between Europe and Russia.
Europe in turbulence: navigating a new world order without the United States?
The foundations of the post-1945 international order, long anchored by U.S. leadership, are shifting. Amid intensifying geopolitical rivalry, democratic backsliding, and strategic fatigue in Washington, the question arises: what if the United States no longer plays its pivotal role in international security? Simultaneously, the Global South is asserting new political and economic agency, complicating the old binaries of West vs. Rest. For Europe, this landscape is both a challenge and an inflection point.
The future of space cooperation in the new strategic context
The policy orientations of the Trump II administration profoundly challenge the foundations of international cooperation in space science and exploration. This shift reflects a broader trend of strategic disengagement and weakening of multilateral mechanisms in the space domain.