Herbert Smith Freehills was a proud supporter of the Africa Europe Forum which was held virtually on 17 - 18 May 2021.
Thomas Kessler, a partner in the firm’s Frankfurt office, joined a panel discussion on the “Role of Renewable Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa’s Power Supply” together with Mario Ledic, Director Governmental Affairs, ANDRITZ HYDRO GmbH, Ravensburg; Dr. Daniel Schroth, Acting Director Renewable Energies, African Development Bank, Abidjan; Peter Schrum, Chairman, Sunfarming GmbH, Alensys AG, Erkner; Barton Shasha, Business Development Manager Afrika, ib Vogt GmbH, Berlin; and moderator Karsten Fuelster, Managing Director, Polaris Consulting & Invest GmbH, Frankfurt.
Thomas mentioned how electrification through clean energy can play a key role in Africa's industrialization and economic growth. He also said that Africa offers huge opportunities for the development of agro-PV projects which can help to bring power to rural areas of Africa. You can access the recording of the discussion here.
Nina Bowyer, a partner in our Paris office and global co-Head of the firm’s Africa Practice Group spoke on a panel which discussed “The Next Big Thing between Germany and Africa – Hydrogen?”. Other speakers were H.E. Ousmane Kane, Minister of Economic Affairs of the Republic of Mauritania; Thomas Bareiß, State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, Berlin; Dr. Carsten Bührer, Head of Technology, PNE AG, Hamburg; Prof. Bertram Lohmüller, Professor for Innovation Management & Leadership, Steinbeis-University Berlin; and Andreas Wenzel, Managing Director, German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Morocco. The panel was moderated by Prof. Dr. Stefan Liebing, Chairman, Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft, e.V., Hamburg.
Nina discussed how lessons can be learned from other project and infrastructure development in Africa to avoid some of the pitfalls when it comes to exploring exciting new opportunities in the hydrogen sector on the continent, and how a stable, reliable and predictable local regulatory framework will be key. You can access the recording of the discussion here.
A full recording of the event is available here.
For more information, please contact Nina Bowyer and Thomas Kessler or your usual Herbert Smith Freehills contact:
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