Renaissance’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tony Attah, has called on young professionals to take a leading role in driving innovation, sustainability, and long-term energy security across the continent.
Attah made this call whilst speaking in Ghana at the Africa Young Professionals Workshop (AYPW) 2026, hosted by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Africa Region.
He was represented by Renaissance’s Vice President for Exploration, Johnbosco Uche, who also emphasised that Africa’s energy challenge is not one of resource scarcity, but of access and execution.
On the theme, “Advancing Africa’s Energy Future: The Role of Young Professionals in Technology, Sustainability and Future-Proofing,” he said, “Africa does not have an energy shortage. Africa has an energy access problem, and that is a very different diagnosis.”
Attah challenged young professionals to step forward as solution-builders, noting that despite Africa’s vast energy potential necessary for the global energy transition, more than 600 million Africans still lack reliable access to electricity.
He therefore called for an increased investment in energy infrastructure; greater value retention along Africa’s resource value chains; deeper integration of technology to drive efficiency and scale; and a balanced approach to sustainability spanning environmental, social, and financial priorities.
According to the Renaissance boss, the future of energy will be shaped by professionals who can harness data, artificial intelligence, and digital systems to optimise performance and unlock new value across the sector.
He cited Renaissance’s employee-led innovation initiatives such as the deployment of an electric vehicle charging station within its operational footprint in the Niger Delta, to demonstrate how young professionals are already driving change from within.
One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of the Citation of Honour to Attah by the SPE Ghana in recognition his leadership and contributions to the advancement of the energy sector., as well as his continued commitment to knowledge sharing and industry development across Africa.
