Lerato D. Mataboge, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union, is set to participate as a speaker at the upcoming African Energy Week 2026, scheduled to take place from October 12 to 16 in Cape Town.
Her participation places the African Union’s energy agenda at the center of discussions as the continent intensifies efforts to expand interconnected power infrastructure, mobilize large-scale investment, and strengthen Africa-led approaches to energy development.
Mataboge has increasingly emerged as one of Africa’s leading voices advocating for a transition strategy that reflects the continent’s industrial and economic realities. During the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in January, she argued that reliable baseload power remains essential for Africa’s industrialization and warned against applying energy transition standards designed for already-industrialized economies to African countries still grappling with electricity access deficits.
She has also pointed to the gap between Africa’s resource wealth and its limited energy consumption capacity. According to figures cited in the statement, Africa holds about 20 percent of the world’s identified uranium resources but accounts for less than one percent of global nuclear electricity consumption.
Speaking in Cape Town in March 2026, Mataboge highlighted the scale of the continent’s energy challenge, noting that Africa currently has approximately 245 gigawatts of installed electricity generation capacity, while average electricity consumption stands at around 600 kilowatt-hours per person annually, significantly below the global average.
She stated that meeting the continent’s development goals would require connecting between 90 million and 100 million additional people to electricity every year. Achieving that target, according to the AU, will require annual energy investment of roughly $200 billion by 2030, compared to current annual investment levels estimated at approximately $45 billion.
As part of her mandate, Mataboge is overseeing major continental energy initiatives including the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM), which aims to integrate Africa’s regional power pools into a unified electricity market. She is also involved in advancing the Continental Power Systems Masterplan and the Ten-Year Infrastructure Investment Plan for Cross-Border Connectivity, both designed to strengthen regional transmission infrastructure and improve energy access across borders.
The African Union has for years promoted these frameworks as part of a broader effort to create a more coordinated and investment-ready continental energy system. However, attracting sufficient private capital and turning policy frameworks into commercially viable projects remain major challenges.
Speaking on Mataboge’s participation at AEW 2026, NJ Ayuk said the commissioner represents a critical link between Africa’s policy ambitions and the investors expected to finance large-scale infrastructure projects.
Ayuk stated that Africa should not be forced to compromise its development priorities based on financing conditions that fail to reflect the continent’s realities and long-term industrial needs.
African Energy Week is regarded as one of the continent’s leading energy industry gatherings, bringing together policymakers, investors, developers, and energy operators to discuss investment, infrastructure, and energy transition strategies across Africa. Organisers say Mataboge’s address will focus heavily on the financing gap facing the sector and the institutional frameworks being developed to close it.
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