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Alfred Seema, Group Executive: Strategic Delivery Unit of South Africa's state-owned power utility Eskom, has been confirmed as a speaker at the African Energy Chamber's G20 Africa Energy Investment Forum (https://EnergyChamber.org/) – taking place November 21 in Johannesburg. Seema's participation comes as the company accelerates a General Recovery Plan, striving to enhance energy security and generation capacity across the country. His participation is expected to unlock new pathways for global partnerships as the country pursues a just energy transition.  

Eskom has been at the forefront of addressing South Africa's loadshedding crisis through targeted policies. The company launched a Load Reduction Elimination Strategy in September 2025, offering a clear roadmap to strengthen the country's distribution network and address high-risk isolated areas. The program takes a three-phased approach, including expanding free basic electricity access from the current 485,000 households to 2.1 million households; accelerating the rollout of smart meters, with 6.2 million planned over the next three years; and deploying distributed energy resources, with 250 set to be installed over the next five years. Eskom is also rolling out a Generation Recovery Plan, aimed at strengthening energy supply. Since August 2025, generation performance has improved significantly under the plan, with the Energy Availability Factor reaching 70%. Between October 1 and 23 alone, the Unplanned Capability Loss Factor reduced to 22.8%, reflecting a marginal improvement compared to the same period in 2024.  

Looking ahead, Eskom's generation strategy focuses on a dual approach of improving the existing fleet and transitioning to cleaner sources of fuel. Aligned with South Africa's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), the company aims to develop a balanced energy mix that incorporates all sources of energy. The IRP 2025 offers a clear investment roadmap for the power sector, targeting 105 GW of new generation capacity by 2039. This includes 5.3 GW of new nuclear capacity – expandable to 10 GW – as well as 34 GW of onshore wind, 25 GW of utility-scale solar, 8.2 GW of storage and 16 GW of gas-to-power. The plan also envisages the development of a Clean-Coal Technologies Demonstration Plan by 2030. Eskom is currently reviewing the IRP 2025 and will publish its own updated strategic plan.  

The generation strategy has already begun to yield positive results. In November 2025, Eskom announced that its Koeberg Nuclear Power Station has secured a 20-year license extension, with both of its units expected to deliver 1,860 MW of baseload power until 2045. This follows the announcement of simplified compliance and registration processes for customers who generate their own electricity through Small-Scale Embedded Generation, enabling private players to invest in generation infrastructure. In September 2025, Eskom achieved commercial operations at Unit 6 at the Kusile Power Station, marking the end of construction of the Medupi and Kusile coal plants. Together, the two facilities deliver up to 9,600 MW of power. These projects form a cornerstone of Eskom's generation strategy, signaling the company's commitment to diversified energy development in South Africa.  

Meanwhile, as part of a strategic restructuring, the South African government has begun the process of unbundling Eskom by separating the company into three entities: generation, transmission and distribution. While operating under Eskom, the companies will function as separate entities under efforts to strengthen efficiency, attract private investment and enhance competition across the sector. To date, the transmission entity – the National Transmission Company of South Africa – has been established and began operations in July 2024. However, to successfully complete the unbundling process, challenges associated with financial viability need to be addressed. The G20 Forum supports these goals be connecting global capital to South African power projects and partners.  

“South Africa's path to energy security depends on embracing a truly diversified mix. Eskom generation plan marks a decisive shift toward balanced growth. Through platforms like the G20 Africa Energy Investment Forum, we can attract the right partners and capital to strengthen South Africa's generation base and ensure every household and industry benefits from affordable, dependable power,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. 

To register for the Forum click here (https://apo-opa.co/47TjSwG).  

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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With an energy finance gap estimated between $30 billion and $50 billion per year, Africa is pursuing diversified sources of financing to address this shortfall and advance strategic projects. Aligned with goals by the continent to make energy poverty history, the African Energy Chamber's (AEC) (https://EnergyChamber.org/) upcoming G20 Africa Energy Investment Forum seeks to close this gap by connecting global capital to African projects. Samira Mensah, Managing Director, Regional Head Africa & Country Head South Africa, S&P Global Ratings, is speaking at the forum, where she is expected to share insight into investment trends, credit ratings and strategies for securing capital in an ever-changing global context.  

While Africa's energy potential is well-known – with over 125 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, 620 trillion cubic feet of proven gas and abundant renewable energy potential – high borrowing costs, perceived credit risks and limited access to long-term financing remain an impediment to project development. In tandem, global pressures to advance the energy transition has seen funding for oil and gas projects significantly fall, delaying African projects and impacting efforts to enhance energy security across the continent. Within this scenario, organizations such as S&P Global Ratings plays a crucial role, shaping market confidence and supporting capital access through transparent risk evaluation. The organization's research has consistently highlighted the importance of developing robust domestic capital markets, enhancing sovereign creditworthiness and leveraging blended finance and guarantees to reduce the cost of borrowing for African issuers.  

While perceived credit risk continues to impact projects in Africa, recent trends have seen a continental push toward closing Africa's energy financing gap. The $5 billion Africa Energy Bank – spearheaded by the African Petroleum Producers Organization and Afreximbank – is making rapid gains in raising funds, offering an alternative, home-grown solution to raising capital. Development finance is gaining traction, evidenced by the U.S.-Export-Import Bank re-approving a loan of up to $4.7 billion to support the development of the TotalEnergies-led Mozambique LNG project. The African Development Bank also reached a record of $11 billion in new investments approved in Africa between 2024 and 2025. International energy companies are ramping-up their spending. Eni is investing $8 billion in Algeria, backed by a deal signed with Sonatrach, while ExxonMobil could invest as much as $15 billion in Angola's Namibe basin following successful drilling. African M&A transactions also saw a significant increase, totaling $2.7 billion in H1, 2025 alone.  

The upcoming G20 Africa Energy Investment Forum builds on this momentum by offering insight into Africa's energy opportunities. The forum follows the African Energy Week 2025 conference, where a Premier Invest-led Deal Room identified up to $13.4 billion project opportunities across the upstream, midstream, downstream and renewable energy segments. By connecting global financiers with African stakeholders, the G20 Forum aims to drive projects forward while addressing challenges such as perceived risk and market uncertainty. Mensah's participation will bring technical depth to discussions on how sovereign and corporate ratings can catalyze investment in Africa's oil, gas and power sectors, particularly as countries pursue both expansion and transition agendas.  

“Closing Africa's energy investment gap is not only about mobilizing capital, it is about changing perceptions, improving credit risk assessments and creating confidence in African markets. Institutions like S&P Global Ratings play a vital role in helping investors see the full picture: that Africa is not a risk to be avoided, but an opportunity to be embraced,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC.  

 To register for the Forum click here (https://apo-opa.co/443y98Q). 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.