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AEW 2026: Development finance and legal advisory indispensable to convert investment into operational projects
African Energy Week will bring thousands of energy leaders, global investors, government officials and policymakers together in Cape Town across 12-16 October 2026. Development finance and legal leaders from the IDC and GLG have now joined the programme.
The newly announced participation of senior leaders from South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and pan-African legal and advisory firm CLG at this year’s African Energy Week will provide delegates with further valuable perspectives on the financial, legal and institutional frameworks needed to accelerate investment and support long-term industrial growth across the continent, say organisers.
“Mobilising investment requires more than capital alone,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber, who founded African Energy Week (AEW) in 2021 with the goal of making energy poverty history by 2030 through policy dialogue and deal-making. “Strong development finance institutions and world-class legal expertise are essential to delivering projects, strengthening investor confidence, and ensuring Africa captures greater value from its natural resources.”
Nina Yose, the IDC’s Acting Divisional Executive for Mining, Metals, Infrastructure, and Energy, will offer valuable insights at the upcoming AEW 2026, say organisers, into how development finance institutions can unlock investment, strengthen capacity, and support the next generation of African energy and infrastructure projects.
Placing Africa at the center of the global energy conversation, the sixth edition of AEW, themed "Affordable and Abundant Energy Additions”, will be held across 12-16 October at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC 1) in South Africa.
Yose and the IDC join AEW 2026 following one of the national development finance institution’s most significant announcements of the year. Late last month, the IDC signed a joint framework agreement with Afreximbank, targeting $8 billion in financing to strengthen South Africa’s industrial base, expand manufacturing capacity, and support infrastructure development under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Under its 2026/27 strategic plan, the IDC has also committed R38.5 billion toward industrial development, including dedicated funding for local industrialists, women and youth-owned businesses.
Complementing the financing perspective, CLG arrives at AEW 2026 as one of Africa’s premier legal and corporate advisory firms.
Earlier this month, CLG’s Central African practice provided guidance on the Republic of Congo’s certified electronic invoicing system, helping companies navigate new compliance requirements affecting business operations across the region.
Representing the firm at AEW 2026, Nigeria Office Director and Group Managing Counsel Adeleke Alao brings extensive expertise in project finance, cross-border transactions and energy regulation. Joining him, Director of Tax & Legal for Central Africa Grace Yella offers deep knowledge of tax, corporate structuring and regulatory compliance throughout the CEMAC region. Together, they are positioned to provide delegates with practical perspectives on managing legal risk, facilitating investment and creating regulatory certainty for Africa’s evolving energy sector.
Another leading African law firm, Olaniwun Ajayi, will host a key side event during AEW 2026: the Energy Leadership Forum, themed “Positioning Nigeria for Energy Leadership in Africa: From Reforms to Results”, on Wednesday 14 October.
The participation of these finance and legal institutions reflects the interconnected nature of Africa’s energy sector, say AEW organisers, where investment success depends on capital, sound governance and regulatory certainty working in tandem.
As governments and investors pursue Africa’s next wave of oil, gas, mining, and infrastructure developments, AEW 2026 provides a vital platform for shaping the frameworks needed to turn opportunity into long-term economic growth.
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.
For more information on the Energy Leadership Forum, visit here.