This is according to Evan Schiff, head of the 2016 African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa conference and trade exhibition. "The industry is constantly challenged and presented with new opportunities and it is therefore vital for power and water professionals to share knowledge and collaborate on a regional basis," he says.
The 16th African Utility Week will take place in Cape Town from 17-19 May 2016, gathering some 6,000 engineers, stakeholders and solution providers from around the globe. The event will feature 250 exhibitors, 250 speakers, a six stream strategic conference, free-to-attend technical conference on the expo floor, three high-profile keynote sessions, technical site visits and the coveted industry awards gala dinner.
"We are proud of our African Utility Week advisory board which comprises decision makers from utilities, large power users, independent power producers, consultants and contractors from across the continent. They take a very active role in making sure our programme addresses the latest challenges, developments and opportunities in the power and water sectors: ranging from generation, T&D, metering, clean energy, finance, reliability, water supply or energy efficiency," Schiff says.
"We will once again showcase many success stories in clean energy; look at bankable power projects and energy storage will be discussed as a possible game changer for energy independence. We also have a strong focus on water for 2016, including the water-energy nexus, water efficiency and waste water management."
Dr Lawrence Musaba, co-ordination centre manager at Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) in Zimbabwe, is already confirmed as a keynote speaker at this industry meeting. He says current challenges facing the energy sector include low tariffs making it difficult to invest, power shortages leading to load shedding, poor maintenance of the electricity infrastructure and poor governance and management. "Moving towards cost-reflective tariffs would be advantageous while attracting the private sector would provide the much needed investment capital. Utilities should be operated as commercial entities."
Next year, the third edition of the African Utility Week Industry Awards will again celebrate the triumphs and successes of Africa's leading power and water projects and people in twelve awards categories, including Water Utility Executive of the Year, Clean Energy Project of the Year and Outstanding Woman in Power.
During African Utility Week, the Power Utility CEO Forum gathers C-level executives from Africa's leading utilities together to discuss pressing topics within the industry and to accelerate cross-border collaboration across Africa. Utility executives from countries such as Nigeria, Uganda, Namibia, Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa are expected to return. For 2016, a new Water Utility CEO Forum will run in conjunction with the Power Utility CEO Forum.
