State-owned development finance institution the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is positioning itself as a key enabler of South Africa’s energy transition and infrastructure development objectives, and its executives highlight the need for more bankable projects, stronger transmission networks and blended finance solutions ahead of this year’s African Energy Forum (AEF), set to take place in Cape Town from June 16 to 19.
DBSA programmes group executive Dr Phindile Masangane and DBSA chief investment officer Greg Fyfe each highlight that the institution aims to use the forum to deepen engagement with policymakers, investors and project developers across Africa.
Masangane adds that energy remains one of the DBSA’s core focus areas along with transport and logistics, ICT and water infrastructure.
“We have just come out of a difficult past of loadshedding. However, what we have now is electricity, which is sufficient for our own use, but we do not have enough power to increase economic growth.
“Therefore, as the DBSA, we want to scale up our investment in energy so that there is enough to attract intensive energy users and ensure we have security of supply. We also want to share with forum delegates the approach that we are taking to scale up our energy infrastructure developments,” Masangane highlights.
