Energy Solutions & Innovation Showcase
Session Overview
The Innovation Showcase converts the Exhibition Hall into a single ninety-minute exposure for delegates to walk between booths and stations operated by twenty-eight African technology providers, project developers, and applied-research institutions. Dr. Yaw Boateng, Dr. Mbuyiseni Ndlovu, and Prof. Idriss Diallo curate the showcase and host short interventions at the central stage.
Exhibitors cover the full deployment stack: solar mini-grids, smart-meter and prepayment platforms, behind-the-meter storage, productive-use appliances, and the digital tooling that makes utility-scale projects bankable in fragile-state contexts. The showcase deliberately mixes established players with early-stage ventures.
The session is designed for matchmaking: delegates from finance institutions, ministries, and utilities are invited to make commitments to follow-up meetings with exhibitors during the conference's later breakouts and the Welcome Reception that follows immediately afterwards.
Key Topics
- Solar mini-grids and rural deployment
- Smart-meter and prepayment platforms
- Behind-the-meter storage at productive-use scale
- Digital tooling for utility bankability
- Matchmaking across finance, ministries, and utilities
Speaker
Dr. Yaw Boateng
Chief Economist, Ghana Centre for Economic Reform
Dr. Yaw Boateng is Chief Economist at the Ghana Centre for Economic Reform, where he leads work on macroeconomic stabilisation, tax policy, and fiscal-debt sustainability. His research informs Ghana's IMF programme design and West African convergence criteria reviews.
Dr. Mbuyiseni Ndlovu
Head of Trade Policy, Pan-African Trade Institute
Dr. Mbuyiseni Ndlovu heads the Trade Policy programme at the Pan-African Trade Institute, where he leads research on AfCFTA implementation, customs reform, and trade-facilitation policy. He has advised five African governments on AfCFTA strategy and offer schedules.
Prof. Idriss Diallo
Director, Conakry Centre for Strategic Studies
Prof. Idriss Diallo directs the Conakry Centre for Strategic Studies, where he leads research on mining policy, natural-resource governance, and strategic affairs in the Mano River Union and ECOWAS regions. He has advised four West African governments on mining-sector reform.
Session Materials
- PRESENTATION SLIDESAvailable after session
- VIDEO RECORDINGAvailable after session