Green Industry Special Economic Zones to Catalyze Renewable Energy Manufacturing: Translating Vision to Investments

Webinar
Date
12:30 CEST
12 Sep 2024
End
14:00 CEST
12 Sep 2024
Location
Virtual

Developing domestic renewable energy manufacturing is becoming a critical policy priority across the Global South. It is seen as a key strategy to reduce import dependency, build local industries, and maximize job creation, aligning with energy transition and green growth initiatives. Achieving this requires a comprehensive industrial policy framework that includes supply- and demand-side incentives, education and training, trade, technology transfer, logistics, and infrastructure development.  

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have emerged as effective tools to support the manufacturing of renewable energy technologies by offering attractive incentives and streamlined regulations. These designated areas offer attractive incentives and streamline regulations to attract investment and foster innovation in the renewable energy sector.  

Examples of SEZs in the Global South include Zambia and DRC's transboundary battery and electric vehicle zone, Indonesia's PV industrial park, and South Africa's Atlantis SEZ. Additionally, Nigeria has established the Presidential Committee on Climate Action and Green Economic Solutions to oversee the creation of its first Green Industrial Zone, Evergreen City.

Organized in partnership with Project Evergreen, this third webinar in the Africa Renewable Energy Manufacturing Initiative (REMI) South-South Virtual Policy Dialogue Series will deep-dive into how Special Economic Zones are serving as an industrial policy tool to attract investments in renewable energy manufacturing. It will convene representatives from government, SEZ leadership, industry and financing institutions to identify key actions needed to translate visions into investments, including on infrastructure development, trade policy and incentive design, investment mobilization and demand creation policies.

Speakers include:

Opening remarks - Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy

Moderator - Lolade Abiola, Programme Manager, Energy Transition Office, SEforALL & Secretary of the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen, Nigeria 

Panellists:

Ashish Sharma, President – Strategic Growth, Waaree Solar

Dahlia Khalifa, Regional Director for Central and Anglophone West Africa, IFC

Jasveer Singh, Cluster Director and Head of SEZ Development Function, Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms

Lazarus Angbazo, CEO, InfraCorp

Matthew Cullinan, CEO, Atlantis Greentech Special Economic Zone, South Africa

Zitto Alfayo, Head of Project Preparation, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)

Prof Purwanto, National Policy Expert, Global Eco-Industrial Parks Programme, Indonesia