Concept Note

The central theme of this year is: Capitalizing on investment opportunities in energy infrastructure in Central Africa and ensuring energy security in the sub-region through public-private partnerships.

1. General Introduction
This concept note presents the context, objectives, challenges, and strategies of the Central African Business and Energy Forum (CABEF), which will be held in N’Djamena from November 8 to 10, 2023.

CABEF is a forum aimed at promoting sustainable energy development in Central Africa by mobilizing financial resources and partnerships necessary for the realization of regional energy infrastructure projects. CABEF will take place in N’Djamena against a backdrop of the Russo-Ukrainian crisis, international pressure on energy transition, regional dynamics driven by the PEAC, and the growing interest of development partners in the energy sector.
Its goal is to promote sustainable energy development in Central Africa by mobilizing the financial resources and partnerships necessary to carry out regional energy infrastructure projects.

Central Africa has considerable energy potential, offering an opportunity to meet the region’s growing energy needs. The specific objectives of CABEF are as follows:
– Strengthen political dialogue on energy issues between the member states of the ECCAS.
– Raise awareness of investment opportunities in the energy sector in Central Africa.
– Facilitate the connection between project leaders and funding providers, particularly for the CAPS project, aimed at creating a cross-border network of pipelines for refined petroleum products and gas in Central Africa.

2. Political and Institutional Framework of CABEF
CABEF falls within the framework of the African Union’s Vision 2063, the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, the Paris Climate Agreement, the African Continental Free Trade Area, the treaties of ECCAS and CEMAC, as well as PEAC. These frameworks aim to promote a sustainable and competitive energy sector in Central Africa.

3. Specific Context of CABEF
CABEF will take place in a context marked by international pressure for energy transition, the war in Ukraine disrupting the global energy market, regional dynamics driven by PEAC, and the growing interest of development partners in the energy sector in Central Africa.

4. Political Strategy of CABEF
To ensure the success of CABEF, it is essential to mobilize the political authorities of the member states, coordinate energy sector players, raise public awareness, create an organizing committee, and define a suitable agenda.

5. Financing Strategies of CABEF
Financing regional energy infrastructure projects requires mobilizing internal resources, diversifying external sources of financing, resorting to public-private partnerships (PPP), and strengthening the capacities of the involved actors.

6. Energy Situation in Central African Countries
CABEF will provide an opportunity to assess the energy situation in the region based on indicators such as energy production, access to electricity, installed capacity, quality of electric service, the cost of electricity, greenhouse gas emissions, and national energy policies.

7. Themes of CABEF
CABEF will be organized around various themes related to sustainable energy development in Central Africa, with an emphasis on investment opportunities, energy security, the interconnected grid, synergies between the mining and hydrocarbons sectors, technical and economic feasibility studies, the role of natural gas, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and other key topics. The forum will include plenary sessions, thematic panels, technical workshops, B2B meetings, exhibitions, and field visits.

Yanick Ndikum
Lead Technical Advisor