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From infrastructure to impact: Congo takes power and water ambitions to AEW 2026 in Cape Town
African Energy Week is set to bring thousands of energy leaders, global investors, officials, and policymakers together in Cape Town across 12-16 October 2026. Congolese Minister Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua has been revealed as a speaker, bringing his nation’s power and water build-out to an international audience
Turning investment into reliable electricity and water for African households and businesses requires more than building new infrastructure, says African Energy Chamber Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk, with the performance of public utilities an important part of the equation.
It is a challenge that will come into focus when Republic of Congo Minister of Energy and Hydraulics Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua joins government, energy and financial sector leaders at African Energy Week (AEW) in Cape Town next month.
“Reliable electricity and access to water are fundamental to Africa’s economic development, and Congo is showing that these challenges require investment in infrastructure as well as reforms that improve the performance of public utilities,” Ayuk said.
That combination of investment and reform is increasingly visible in Congo. In August, Itoua presided over the presentation of a diagnostic of state electricity utility Énergie Électrique du Congo (E²C), with the government working towards a recovery plan backed by a performance contract.
The wider programme includes rehabilitating and expanding transmission and distribution networks in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire and progressively introducing smart prepaid meters. Congo’s national energy pact targets electricity access of 90% in urban areas and 50% in rural areas by 2030, with universal access targeted for 2035.
International backing is gathering around those plans. The World Bank’s $100 million Strengthening Electricity Services Project is targeting improved access and service quality, while a preliminary market consultation opened this month for 414,000 smart and communicating meters. The African Development Bank has also discussed supporting feasibility studies, sector reforms and investment mobilisation.
Progress is extending beyond Congo’s two largest cities. Mossaka was connected to the national interconnected grid through a new high-voltage substation in July, providing continuous electricity supply, while Itoua’s water brief includes a China-funded programme for potable-water boreholes at five Brazzaville schools and the Djoué 2 project to increase production for the capital.
Itoua is no stranger to AEW. In 2022, while Minister of Hydrocarbons, he also held the rotating presidency of the OPEC Conference, giving the Congolese minister a prominent role on the global energy stage. That year he was among five recipients of AEW’s Mohammed S. Barkindo Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising his contribution to Congo and Africa’s energy sector.
He has continued to participate in the Cape Town gathering since then, with recent appearances largely centred on Congo’s oil and gas development, sector reforms and efforts to attract investment.
This year brings a different emphasis. Now responsible for Energy and Hydraulics, Itoua comes to AEW with the focus on two of the most fundamental services for Congolese households and businesses: reliable power and water.
“Minister Itoua’s participation at AEW 2026 will provide an important opportunity to connect Congo’s electricity and water priorities with the investors, technology providers and development partners needed to turn these projects into functioning infrastructure that serves households and businesses,” Ayuk said.
Founded by Ayuk in 2021, AEW combines policy dialogue with investment and deal-making across Africa’s energy sector. This year’s gathering runs at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 12-16 October.
Africa Legal is proud to be a media partner of AEW 2026, and to be able to offer our readers an exclusive, strong discount on standard delegate rates for this year's event. Contact wendy@africa-legal.com for further details.