African officials present continent as ‘safe energy investment hub’ as states upgrade power links
African Energy Chamber vice president Tomás Gerbasio says strengthened investor protections and better business climates are turning Africa into a “safe energy investment hub,” while a ZESCO representative argues that domestic infrastructure in Zambia is crucial for closer regional power integration in Southern Africa.
African energy officials are using a period of global instability to argue that the continent offers investors a comparatively secure place to put capital.
Tomás Gerbasio, vice president for commercial and strategic engagements at the African Energy Chamber, said African countries have strengthened investor protections and improved investment climates across the continent. He presented these steps as the basis for describing Africa as a safe hub for energy investment amid wider geopolitical shocks.
Gerbasio pointed to changes in how states handle outside capital, including stronger legal protections for investors and efforts to make regulatory environments more predictable. The message is that companies worried about sudden policy swings or contract disputes in other regions should take a fresh look at African projects.
In Southern Africa, the focus extends to how electricity moves between countries. A representative from ZESCO, Zambia’s state-owned power utility, said domestic infrastructure is key to better regional power integration. The official described how Zambia is using its central location to support cross-border power flows, with improved transmission and other upgrades meant to make it a more reliable link in the regional grid.
For households and businesses, those decisions shape whether investments in new generation capacity translate into fewer outages and more stable tariffs. Better rules for investors can draw in money for projects, but substations, lines and interconnectors on the ground determine whether that power can actually reach users in neighbouring states.
Internationally, if investors accept the argument that Africa is a relatively safe energy bet, more exploration, production and grid projects could follow. That would gradually alter supply patterns and increase Africa’s weight in decisions about global energy markets.
Evidence that this pitch is working would include major project approvals, the terms of new investment deals, and any clear shift in how financial markets price political risk for African energy ventures.
Sources
- OSINT