Fourth Youth in the Energy Sector Students Conference Expands National Reach in Arusha

The expanding energy sector presents opportunities for young people, youth-owned SMEs, and entrepreneurs to engage across the value chain

ARUSHA, Tanzania, June 3, 2026/APO Group/ --

The fourth edition of the Youth in the Energy Sector Students' Conference was held on Saturday, 30th May 2026, at Mt. Meru Hotel in Arusha, bringing together over 200 students, industry leaders, and key stakeholders under the theme: "From Resource to Prosperity: How Tanzania Turns Energy into Development."

Convened by EACOP and TotalEnergies in partnership with Ubuntu Impact Limited, the conference built on previous editions held in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, and Zanzibar, further expanding its national reach. Government officials and energy executives, including representatives from key ministries, TPDC, TPS, and CPP, also participated. Students from Arusha Technical University, the Institute of Accountancy Arusha, and the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology participated in masterclasses, panel discussions, and a career exhibition.

A keynote on "Energy Transition: African Youth and the Right to Develop" was delivered by Kenneth Mutaonga, Partner at Africa Investment Advisors and Co-Founder of Asilia Energy. Drawing on Africa's evolving energy landscape, he challenged young professionals to see themselves not as beneficiaries of the sector but as architects of it.

Delivering the masterclass, Kenneth Mutaonga emphasized that youth have been recognized as critical drivers of innovation and socio-economic transformation across Africa. He noted that “The expanding energy sector presents opportunities for young people, youth-owned SMEs, and entrepreneurs to engage across the value chain, and called on them to build capacity and actively participate in shaping Africa’s energy future.

Panel discussions addressed how large-scale energy projects strengthen local economies and create employment, while a financial education segment explored how youth can access funding, build careers, and invest within the energy value chain. The East African Crude Oil Pipeline featured prominently throughout as a concrete example of how a single infrastructure project can generate thousands of direct and indirect opportunities, stimulate local enterprise, and anchor long-term economic development for host communities.

A career fair by EACOP Tanzania and TotalEnergies Marketing Tanzania provided direct exposure to graduate programs and professional development pathways, with testimonials from current trainees bringing the opportunities to life.

Speaking on the panel "How Energy Projects Can Strengthen Local Economies," Marième-Sav Sow, Vice President Engagement & Advocacy at TotalEnergies, stated:

"Africa is not waiting for permission to develop. The question is no longer whether we have the resources, we do. The question is whether we are building the institutional and human foundations to turn those resources into lasting prosperity. Young Tanzanians are not the future of this sector. They are its present."

The conference reflected a shared conviction: that the energy sector's greatest asset is the generation now entering it. Through sustained partnerships between industry, academia, and civil society, EACOP and TotalEnergies remain committed to ensuring that Tanzania's energy wealth translates into opportunity for the communities that host these projects, and for the young people who will carry them forward.