The Kingdom of Morocco’s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development has confirmed support for two conferences focusing on gas and renewables in Casablanca this November.

With confirmed participation from Honourable Minister Aziz Rabbah, the North & West Africa Gas Options Conference will assemble public sector leaders, IOCs, infrastructure developers, investors and IPP developers alongside major national, international and multilateral banks to discuss investment opportunities in Africa’s energy sector.

“With decreased project assurance across the continent, we’re aware that investors need to broaden their portfolios and it is with this in mind that these co-located events: Gas Options - North & West Africa (www.GasOptions-NWAfrica.com) and the Africa Renewable Energy Forum (www.Africa-Renewable-Energy-Forum.com) will take place in Morocco from 29^th November to 1^st December,” commented EnergyNet’s (www.EnergyNet.com) Programme Manager Valeria Aruffo.

“Together they will provide developers and gas players a platform to connect with credible stakeholders, build new partnerships and understand the exciting role Moroccans and their African partners across the regions will play in the coming years as billions of dollars are pumped into these economies.”

The Honourable Minister Rabbah will open the conferences with a keynote speech, going on to explore potential financing bottlenecks in Morocco’s gas and renewable energy strategy.

Alongside partners Royal Dutch Shell, Karpowership, ACWA Power, DLA Piper, DBSA, Engie, Fieldstone Africa, Wärsilä, White & Case, Jinko Solar, Clarke Energy and Cheniere, African governmental figures will attend from The Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, South Africa, Ethiopia, Mauritius and Zimbabwe.

DFI representation from IFC, World Bank, Africa50 and OPIC will be present to showcase financing opportunities and bankable projects. Gathering enterprises from across the globe, Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company, Masdar Clean Energy and one of India’s biggest business houses, Adani Solutions will also push the frontier of energy solutions at the summits.

The North & West Africa Gas Options Summit will explore the evolution of the global gas market as a catalyst for industrial growth for the region, linking with Europe and the development of gas-to-power projects within the ECOWAS and Maghreb regions. In addition to regional gas infrastructure projects, the programme will discuss gas utilisation for the downstream sectors and the positive impact the North & West Africa gas economy will have on the ECOWAS region.

Frederik Smits van Oyen, Cheniere’s Vice-President, Origination and Marketing of the EMEA regions commented, “Cheniere is looking forward to the North & West Africa Gas Options conference; it’s a great platform for stakeholders to promote sustainable, complementary energy solutions that provide economic prosperity in the region”.

The Africa Renewable Energy Forum (ARF) will explore the role of renewable energy in achieving a sustainable energy mix by delving into the financing of clean energy projects. The clear appetite for investments in renewable IPP projects means that the focused dialogue around bankable projects at ARF will support both investors and governments in better formulating an integrated strategy.