Policy Clinic — From Energy Access to Productive Use: Policy Choices for Industrial Transformation

An interactive expert clinic examining three real policy challenges commonly faced by African countries in using energy to drive industrialization, job creation, and productive use. Drawing on country experiences and investment cases, the panel identifies what works, common pitfalls, and practical actions — with particular emphasis on how energy reliability, cost, and quality affect firm-level productivity in manufacturing, agro-processing, and industrial clusters. Hosted by the Ministry of Energy, Water and Mines, Benin.

Moderated by Mr. Basile Kanon Adjo (Secretary General, Ministry of Energy, Water and Mines, Benin), with a kick-off by Dr. Moubarak Lo (Policy Center for the New South / Emergence Institute) and an expert panel: Mrs. Tighisti Amare (Chatham House), Dr. James Cust (World Bank), Mr. Victor Djemba (UNIDO), Dr. Amani Asfour (Africa Business Council), Mr. Kebour Ghenna (PACCI) and Dr. Daouda Sembene (AfriCatalyst).

Objective: give policymakers a practical, evidence-based platform to assess energy-for-industrialization strategies, identify barriers, and develop actionable recommendations to strengthen productive use and attract sustainable investment. Expected outcomes: practical recommendations for energy-for-industrialization strategies; bottlenecks and solutions identified for manufacturing, agro-processing and SMEs; key lessons captured as an ATTS 2026 policy note, including models linking energy to industrial zones and export competitiveness.