- The Ugandan capital is hosting the fifth edition of the Unlocking Solar Capital (USC) conference.
- Kampala will be in the spotlight on 31 May and 1 June 2023.
Despite efforts in recent years to increase access to this essential service, at least 600 million people in Africa still don’t have electricity. However, new solar energy solutions that are more reasonably priced are giving people optimism, particularly in rural areas where expanding the national electrical infrastructure is less profitable for public utilities.
The solar industry participants are gathering for the sixth Unlocking Solar Capital (USC) Africa conference on June 31 and 1, specifically to discuss the many solutions available. The Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA) and Solarplaza, in collaboration with the Ugandan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and regional solar industry groups, are co-organizing the event.
USC Africa seeks to promote cooperation among venture capital and commercial firms, independent power producers (IPPs), project developers, and service and product suppliers with a focus on impact and climate-related development finance institutions (DFIs). From solar household systems to solar mini-grids, the event will include all business sectors and their interactions.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and its Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), which supports the deployment of large- and small-scale solar energy, Dutch investor Triple Jump, and Power Africa, a US government initiative to finance the development of installed electricity capacity on the African continent through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), are among the financial organizations anticipated in Kampala, Uganda.
The USC Africa 2023 will also feature energy firms including the French company Engie, which works in all solar energy-related industries, and solar home system suppliers Qotto, d.light, Sun King, and Azuri Technologies, with the goal of demonstrating technological and business model breakthroughs.