Africa Energy Forum: Dr. Sandrine Mubenga in Cape Town to Engage Investors and Promote Investment in the DRC Dr. Sandrine Mubenga Ngalula, CEO of the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ARE) of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is participating to the Africa Energy Forum, a major international conference taking place from June 17 to 20, 2025, in Cape Town, South Africa

Held under the theme “Africa United”, this four-day forum aims to bring together African leaders and stakeholders to exchange ideas and present a unified message ahead of the upcoming G20 meeting.

“We were invited as the Electricity Regulatory Authority of the DRC because of the crucial role we play in the country’s power sector. We are speaking in six different sessions to share the DRC’s experience and invite investors to support electrification efforts in our country,” explained Dr. Sandrine Mubenga during the opening of the forum on June 17.

According to the CEO, ARE’s participation in such international events is highly beneficial for the DRC, often leading to concrete outcomes.

“For instance, last March I attended the Powering Africa Summit in the United States, where we met key financial players interested in funding large-scale infrastructure like transmission lines, which are costly. A few months later, we had the pleasure of welcoming some of them to Kinshasa to advance a transmission project. These are tangible results we gain by representing the DRC in global forums,” she added.

Opening Remarks by South African Minister

The conference opened with a keynote address by Hon. Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, South Africa’s Minister of Electricity and Energy, who welcomed all participants.
Hon. Amadou Hott, former Special Envoy of the President of the African Development Bank, also emphasized what a united Africa can achieve.
Hon. Lerato Dorothy Mataboge, African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, delivered remarks as well.

ARE’s Strategic Participation

Dr. Mubenga, who is fluent in both English and French, is accompanied by Ms. Allégria Ntumba, ARE’s Director of Administration and Finance.
“Being bilingual is a great advantage. We speak both English and French, and we understand the technical terms being used — most participants here are engineers, after all,” she noted.

A Strategic Platform for Investment

The Africa Energy Forum is hosted in different countries each year. After Kenya hosted it in 2023, this year’s edition is in South Africa, and the 2026 edition will take place in the United Arab Emirates.

The 2023 forum, held at the Kenyatta International Convention Center in Nairobi, provided a dynamic platform for honest and interactive conversations around Africa’s energy needs and how international investors can help meet them. It brought together regulators, policy leaders, and key decision-makers from the global energy sector.
“Our hope is to see this forum hosted one day in the DRC,” concluded the CEO.

COMMUNICATION / ARE