West African country, Nigeria, will be the host for this year’s PowerAfrica Conference scheduled 20th and 23rd August, 2019, in Abuja.
This year’s PowerAfrica Conference, which is the 6th edition, is expected to bring together academics, professionals and other stakeholders to review the state of power and energy challenges in Africa and proffer sustainable solutions.
Ahead of the conference, General Chair of 2019 IEEE PES-IAS PowerAfrica Conference Engr. Tunde Salihu, has explained what the conference is all about, objectives and expectations.
Qtn. Would you please introduce IEEE, PES and IAS?
Ans…IEEE has the largest membership of any professional body in the world. We are responsible for about one third of all standards in electro-technology. IEEE delivers access to industry’s most essential technical information; provides both local and global networking opportunities and offers career development tools to its more than 400,000 members globally.
Both PES and IAS are specialty societies in the IEEE. PES is the Power and Energy Society while IAS is the Industry Applications Society. They are collaborating to sponsor the PowerAfrica Conference, now in its 6th edition.
Qtn. What are the objectives of the conference in Africa?
Ans. PowerAfrica Conference (PAC) seeks to bring together academics, professionals and other stake holders to review the state of power and energy challenges in Africa and proffer sustainable solutions.
Qtn. What is the Power Africa conference in Abuja aiming to achieve?
Ans. The conference theme is: “Power Economics and Energy Innovations in Africa”, because we have recognized that finance is a major problem in tackling energy access and quality in Africa. So, we are trying to address this through new cost-effective innovations.
Qtn. What are the criteria for choosing the hosting country each year?
Ans. IEEE is a world class organization, so the major criteria are the readiness of a proposed hosting country to provide world class facilities and good ambience for the conference attendees. It is also important for the hosting nation to show that there are capable volunteers to host an international event successfully.
Qtn. Who can participate in this event, and how?
Ans. Everybody working in the power sector or carrying out research such as engineers, financiers, lawyers, policy makers, researchers from various departments and stake holders such as power consumers can attend the conference. Also, students are particularly welcome to gain new insights in their profession and widen their network.
Qtn. What, in your opinion, can be done by governments and investors to develop the power sector in Africa?
Ans. The most important effort from government is sincerity. Governments need to find a way to reduce corruption in the area of contract awards so that people can get more mileage from power projects. Governments in Africa also need to carry out campaigns to make consumers realize that energy is expensive and people should be ready to pay cost-reflective tariffs to encourage investment. Investors coming to Africa should try to be more open in their projection and so must come up with more sophisticated business models suitable to the political and economic climate in Africa.
Qtn. Which African countries do you think are currently making progress in the power sector?
Ans. There are many African countries making progress in the power sector in Africa. In the area of energy access for example, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria etc., have achieved or almost achieved 100% access to electricity for their people. However some countries are not doing so well in that aspect, for instance, Nigeria (59.5%) access and Liberia (19.8%). Commendably, some other countries such as Ghana have achieved about 80% access to good quality electricity supply. We also note that governments in Africa are working assiduously to share and access knowledge and information within and without the continent to bring about better access and quality of electricity to their constituents. PAC is a definite partner in this regard.
Qtn. What should delegates to the conference expect at the event?
Ans. Our delegates should expect high quality interactions with top professionals, academics and policy makers who share a common interest in the access to energy for African growth and development. The delegates should also expect a good time networking with people from diverse cultures and outlook so as to enrich their knowledge and horizon. We have also prepared opportunities for them to take in the cultural and technical richness of Abuja, the beautiful capital of Nigeria. I and my wonderful team are leaving no stone unturned to give all conference attendees a memorable experience.
