Africa's Energy Shift: Capital, Grids, and the New Frontier

Solarplaza and FMO are once again co-hosting the Future of Energy Summit in Amsterdam on 24 and 25 March 2026, an event dedicated to accelerating renewable energy investment and deployment in emerging markets across Africa, Latin America, and Central & Southeast Asia. For this edition, the event theme, “Navigating change in the energy transition,” spotlights the critical need to adapt to evolving global dynamics and financial models.

To set the tone for the summit, the “Agents of Change: Catalysts for the Energy Transition in Emerging Markets” white paper was published, featuring interviews with six leaders driving electrification in developing nations. As we continue to profile those accelerating the energy transition, we secured an additional, crucial perspective from Olusola Lawson (Sola Lawson), Co-Managing Director at AIIM (African Infrastructure Investment Managers). With over 16 years of experience in corporate finance and infrastructure equity investing, Olusola has been responsible for originating, executing, and managing over $500 million of equity invested across various sectors, including power and renewables in Africa. His perspective offers a powerful complement to the “Agents of Change” series, focusing on the structural shifts needed—from private-sector innovation to critical infrastructure development—to scale clean energy across the continent.