The African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Commission (AUC), and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) have co-organized the second "All Africa Energy Week (AAWE)" event to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from November 12-16, 2012.

In January 2011, the AU Executive Council endorsed the establishment of the Conference of Energy Ministers of Africa (CEMA) as a central continental high-level coordination organ for energy policies. It also endorsed the All Africa Energy Week as a framework for assessing the progress achieved in the area of energy infrastructure development and services, consensus building on emerging issues, and high-level coordination of all energy sector players and stakeholders. The CEMA meeting and All Africa Energy Week take place every two years.

The overall objectives of the AAEW are to achieve more efficient, coherent and coordinated actions towards increasing energy access and developing the energy sector in Africa, and to accelerate progress through dialogue and partnerships toward the scaling up of investments in the African energy sector.

The 2012 AAEW will take place under the theme "Renewable Energy for Development: From Potential to Infrastructure and Services".

The All-Africa Energy Week is organized jointly with the Pan African Investment Forum and the statutory AU Conference of African Energy Ministers session. It comprises plenary and break-out thematic sessions, partnerships platforms and a ministerial roundtable. An exhibition on clean energy will also be organized.

Target beneficiaries are energy-sector policy-makers in Africa, energy development partners, national and sub-regional energy development actors, energy investors, private sector, energy experts in R&D, energy stakeholders and development finance institutions (DFIs).

The AAEW is now the largest recurrent African-led energy event, with some 350 expected participants this year, including 25 confirmed Ministers.

It is expected that the week will set a platform for discussions, knowledge sharing and decisions aimed at making progress in: the implementation of the Programme for Infrastructure Development of Africa (PIDA); achieving the objectives of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative; stepping up renewable development for regional integration; harnessing wind, geothermal and solar potential; building consensus on issues related to reforms, regulations, policies and tariffs; and fostering investments through a Pan-African investment forum.