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Africa-EU
Energy Partnership

Boosting Skills in Power Project Financing: Third Training for African Energy Professionals Kicks Off 

Knowledge Facilitation

The third energy regulation course by Power Futures Lab (PFL) at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB), took place from 14 to 18 March  2022. The course  “Finance, Contracts and Risk Mitigation for Private Power Projects” is part of a package of courses supported by the Africa-EU Energy Partnership.   

Sub-Saharan Africa is the fastest-urbanising region in the world. However, it accounts for 751 percent of the world’s population without access to electricity. As governments mobilise capital to address the issue, private independent power projects (IPPs) have been gaining traction and are now one of the fastest growing sources of investment in the energy sector. What is needed now is workers with capacity and experience in finance, Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), and risk mitigation measures. To that effect, the specialised Power Sector Financing course aims to plug this gap in the shortage of skills and unlock growth and investment in the sector. 

The course provided participants with a better understanding of the different aspects of financing within the power sector such as: the theory and practice in power sector financing, Africa-specific case studies, captive power projects, mini-grid projects and stand-alone systems, and the core elements of Requests for Proposals, PPAs, Implementation Agreements, and Direct Agreements. The one-week course is offered by the Power Futures Lab, a centre of excellence at the UCT GSB aimed at building capacity in infrastructure investment, reform and regulation in support of sustainable development.  

Learn more about the courses: https://www.gsb.uct.ac.za/executive-education/financial-modelling 

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