Africa has made a bold declaration on the global stage: the continent will no longer wait for external approval to power its future. That was the resounding message from the inaugural Africa Energy Investment Summit (#AEInvest2025), held this week in New York alongside the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The gathering, convened by the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO), drew African energy ministers, global investors, financiers, and industry leaders with a central goal: to position Africa at the heart of the global energy transition.
“Why New York and not Africa?” asked Omar Farouk Ibrahim, APPO Secretary General, opening the summit. “Because UNGA brings all our leaders and investors together, making it the ideal platform to connect, engage, and unlock funding for Africa’s energy future.”
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Ibrahim highlighted Africa’s energy paradox: vast reserves of oil, gas, and renewable resources on one hand, yet more than 600 million people living without access to electricity. He announced that the long-anticipated African Energy Bank — an institution designed to finance African-led energy projects — has officially been established.
“Three years after we began the African Energy Bank initiative, I am proud to say it is now a legal entity,” Ibrahim said. “Member countries have deposited equity, the charter has been signed and ratified, and we have raised enough capital to begin operations.”
Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state for petroleum resources (oil), pointed to signs of renewed investor confidence in Africa’s energy sector. “Nigeria’s production rose from one million to 1.8 million barrels per day, and our goal is 2.5 million. American companies are already showing strong interest in investing in Nigerian oil blocks,” he said.
Lokpobiri argued strongly for continued fossil fuel investment, insisting Africa must chart its own course in the energy transition. “Africa must not be deceived into abandoning fossil fuels while the West continues to expand production. Our hydrocarbons will finance our transition — not charity, not aid,” he said.
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Equatorial Guinea’s Minister of Hydrocarbon Mining Development, H.E. Antonio Oburu Ondo, speaking on behalf of Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, underscored the urgency of reclaiming financial sovereignty. “Africa holds 40% of the world’s natural resource discoveries yet remains at the mercy of financiers in London, Paris, and New York,” he said. “Energy finance is a question of sovereignty. We must build the African Energy Bank, mobilise our sovereign wealth and pension funds, and secure Africa’s rightful place as a global energy leader.”
James Shindi, CEO of Brevity Anderson, producers of #AEInvest2025, said the New York event marked just the beginning. “This is the first in a series and we will be back next year, even bigger and better,” he said.
As the summit closed, one theme resonated from the halls of New York to capitals across Africa: the continent intends to take ownership of its energy destiny — on its own terms.
