Excitement About Potential and Opportunities in East Africa in Focus at Future Energy East Africa in Nairobi

Nairobi, Kenya, November 22, 2017 --(PR.com)-- Huge potential, unlimited opportunities – this is how energy experts in the region describe the East African power sector. A required investment of approximately $93 billion per annum needed to address East Africa’s power and infrastructure needs opens up exciting business opportunities for suppliers and solution providers from across the globe.

Future Energy East Africa, with the official support of the Kenyan Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, will once again host many of the region’s leading energy decision makers from 29 – 30 November 2017 at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi.

Formerly known as the East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC) the event boasts both a strategic conference and a large trade exhibition which provides a platform for public and private stakeholders to engage in discussions around the future of the East African energy sector, giving stakeholders the opportunity to benchmark their operations, challenges and achievements against their peers and seek suppliers who are looking to gain access to projects across the region.

Leading energy experts and industry suppliers who are excited about the region’s potential and opportunities in the sector that will be at Future Energy East Africa include:

· “The electricity industry in this region is one of the fastest developing on the continent and Future Energy East Africa presents the perfect opportunity to showcase our products, services and expertise to a key growth market. We have been participating in EAPIC for many years and we are excited to see the event develop after its rebranding as Future Energy East Africa this year.” - Connie Ochola, Regional Marketing Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, Lucy Electric, returning platinum sponsors.

· “The smart money is on East Africa, Africa’s new economic powerhouse is taking root in Eastern Africa, with Ethiopia and Kenya taking the lead, and Tanzania and Uganda reinforcing this emerging regional cluster of more than 300 million people.” - Lukas Duursema, CEO, Siemens Eastern Africa, platinum sponsors.

· “Energy access related start-ups have been among the most prominent of the start-up scene in the recent years in East Africa. Kenya in particular is a commendable player in the African innovation and entrepreneurship market. The number of start-ups being born and entrepreneurs being developed here reflect this.” - Paras Patel, Investment Manager, Energy Access Ventures, Kenya and part of a panel discussion on the potential of mini grids at Future Energy East Africa.

· “I dream of the day when all our school kids will do their evening homework using electricity. Our main opportunities lie in the upscaling of the production of renewable energy. With the decreasing costs of storage batteries, distributed generation will go a long way in ensuring that all citizens of East Africa have access to clean and reliable energy.” - Mbae Ariel Mutegi, Chief Engineer, Network Audit, Kenya Power and panelist at Future Energy East Africa.

· “Both generation and distribution of energy in East Africa are markets to watch closely over the near future. Access to energy certainly represents a major opportunity in the region and, in my opinion, solving the issues around making mini-grids economically viable is at the core of unlocking that opportunity. Furthermore, there are few credible players with on-ground experience in this space, which makes it a particularly exciting time to be involved.” - Riccardo Ridolfi, the Head of Business Development for Absolute Energy Capital (AEC) and discussion panellist at Future Energy East Africa.

Opening session highlights: Wednesday 29 November 2017:
Theme: Mapping the journeys of the future utility

09:15 Organiser’s welcome
- Claire O’Connell, Event Director, Spintelligent, South Africa

09:20 Host Ministry welcome address
- Dr Joseph Njoroge, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Kenya

09:35 Uganda’s roadmap to universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services
- Hon. Eng Simon D’Ujanga, Minister of State for Energy and Mineral Development, Uganda

09:50-11:00 What is the vision for the digital utility? - Will there be a new way of running a utility? - How can you combine digital technologies and operations capabilities? - Entirely reimagining the customer experience
Speakers:
- Kannan Lakmeeharan, Partner, McKinsey & Company, South Africa
- Johnny Dladla, CEO, Eskom Enterprises, South Africa
- Johan Helberg, Country Manager, Siemens, Kenya
- Edouard Héripret General Manager East Africa, Schneider Electric, Kenya
- Ken Tarus, Managing Director and CEO, Kenya Power, Kenya*
- Rebecca Miano, Managing Director and CEO, KenGen, Kenya*

11:00-11:30 Inspirational keynote address : Developing East Africa’s future leaders
- Prof. Izael Pereira Da Silva, Deputy Vice Chancellor in Charge of Research and Innovation, Strathmore University, Kenya

Free expo highlights include:
· Free technical workshops on renewable energy, mini grids, nuclear power and much more.
· Latest technology and services for the industry – more than 40 local and global exhibitors will showcase their offering on the expo floor.