KenGen Targets 1,500 Delegates for Conference to Drive Africa’s Green Industrial Revolution

KenGen Acting Managing Director and CEO Eng. Ronoh Kibet speaks during the media launch of the Sustainable Energy Conference (SEC) 2026 in Nairobi, ahead of the November 24–27 conference in Naivasha, which aims to mobilise investment and accelerate Africa’s green industrial revolution.

By Fride Amiani

Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has called for increased investment in renewable energy to accelerate industrialisation, create jobs and unlock Africa’s economic potential, warning that the continent continues to attract a disproportionately small share of global energy financing despite its abundant natural resources.

KenGen Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Eng. Ronoh Kibet said Africa must move beyond generating electricity and focus on transforming its energy resources into industries, businesses and economic opportunities for its growing population.

Speaking during the media launch of the Sustainable Energy Conference (SEC) 2026 on Thursday, October 15, Kibet announced that the conference would be held from November 24 to 27 at the KenGen Olkaria Geothermal Spa in Naivasha under the theme “Powering Africa’s Green Industrial Revolution.”

“There is a fundamental truth about Africa’s future that we must recognise. Our continent does not suffer from a shortage of resources. It suffers from a shortage of investment in transforming those resources into prosperity,” Kibet said.

He noted that Africa has abundant solar, wind, hydro and geothermal resources but requires adequate capital, strategic partnerships and effective execution to translate this potential into economic growth.

“We have the sun. We have the wind. We have the rivers. And beneath our feet, extraordinary geothermal resources. What we need now is the capital, the partnerships and, above all, the discipline to turn that potential into economic progress,” he said.

Kibet maintained that the success of Africa’s energy transition should not be measured solely by the amount of electricity generated but by the industries powered, jobs created and communities transformed.

“Because the true measure of Africa’s energy transformation will not simply be how many megawatts we generate. It will be how many industries we power, how many jobs we create and how many lives we transform,” he added.

The conference is expected to bring together policymakers, investors, financiers, utilities, power producers, technology providers and industrial players to explore investment opportunities and develop commercially viable sustainable energy projects across the continent.

According to Kibet, the event will provide a platform for stakeholders to move beyond discussions and commitments towards practical investments capable of accelerating Africa’s industrial development.

“We are not convening another conference merely to admire Africa’s potential. We are bringing together the people and institutions capable of unlocking it,” he said.

“Our ambition is to move from dialogue to deals, from commitments to capital, and from potential to projects.”

Anchored on four strategic pillars benchmarking, networking, finance and trade the conference aims to attract more than 1,500 delegates from over 80 countries. The expected participants include 200 investors, 40 financiers, 100 utilities and power producers, and 100 exhibitors.

Kibet said the conference would connect investors and financiers with project developers and energy consumers to identify opportunities for partnerships, financing and trade in the renewable energy sector.

He cited figures from the International Energy Agency indicating that Africa accounts for approximately 20 per cent of the global population but attracts less than three per cent of worldwide energy investment and only two per cent of global clean energy investment.

He further noted that approximately 600 million Africans remain without access to electricity, limiting economic opportunities for households, businesses and industries.

“Behind these figures are entrepreneurs constrained by unreliable power, industries unable to compete and communities whose economic potential remains unrealised,” he said.

“This is not simply an energy deficit. It is an economic opportunity waiting to be unlocked.”

Kibet argued that electricity should be viewed as an enabler of economic transformation rather than an end in itself, emphasising the need to expand industrial capacity and ensure that reliable energy translates into improved livelihoods.

“Because electricity, in itself, is not the destination. Electricity is the enabler. Industry is the multiplier. Prosperity is the ultimate dividend,” he said.

The KenGen chief executive said hosting the conference at Olkaria would showcase Kenya’s progress in renewable energy development and demonstrate how sustained investment in indigenous resources could support economic growth.

“Olkaria is more than a location on the map. It is proof of what becomes possible when a nation chooses to invest in its own potential,” he said.

KenGen generates more than 90 per cent of its installed electricity capacity from renewable sources, principally hydropower, geothermal and wind. The company has an installed generation capacity of 1,786 megawatts, including 826MW from hydropower, 754MW from geothermal and 25.5MW from wind, with the remaining capacity coming from thermal sources.

Kibet said the company was building on this foundation through the KenGen Green Energy Park at Olkaria, which seeks to connect clean, reliable geothermal power directly to manufacturing, enterprise and industrial development.

“Today, over 90 per cent of KenGen’s installed generation capacity comes from renewable sources—principally hydro, geothermal and wind. This achievement reflects decades of engineering excellence, sustained investment and institutional commitment,” he said.

“We are moving beyond generating green power to enabling a green economy.”

Kibet urged African countries to ensure that the global transition to clean energy delivers lasting economic benefits rather than leaving the continent primarily as a supplier of natural resources.

He called for greater investment in local industries, technical capabilities and opportunities for young people to participate in the growing global clean energy economy.

“We should not be content to supply the world with the resources that power its green revolution while importing the prosperity that follows,” he said.

“We must build our own industries. Develop our own capabilities. Create opportunities for our young people. And secure our rightful place in the global clean energy economy.”

He stressed that Africa’s energy transition should combine environmental sustainability with industrial development, competitiveness and prosperity.

“Because Africa’s energy transition must be about more than decarbonisation. It must also be about development, competitiveness and prosperity,” he said.

Kibet invited investors, financiers, utilities, technology providers, project developers and corporate energy consumers to participate in the conference and establish partnerships that could deliver tangible results.

“Come with your ideas. Come with your innovations. Come with your investment appetite. But most importantly, come prepared to build partnerships that deliver,” he said

He also called on the media to highlight the broader economic impact expected from the conference, including investment mobilisation, job creation, enterprise development and community transformation.

“The success of SEC 2026 will not be measured by the number of speeches delivered. It will be measured by the investments mobilised, the partnerships realised and the economic opportunities created,” Kibet said.

He concluded by urging stakeholders to work collectively to turn Africa’s renewable energy resources into economic prosperity.

“Africa has never lacked the energy to power its future. What we must now summon is the collective will to turn that energy into prosperity,” he said.

“We have the resources. We have the talent. We have the market. What remains is to connect them with capital, commercial ambition and decisive execution.”

Kibet said the ambition was for Olkaria to be remembered not merely as the venue for discussions on Africa’s green industrial future, but as the place where partnerships and investments helped set that future in motion.