Business Mission to Johannesburg, South Africa and the B20 Summit 2025

NABA, in collaboration with NHO, organized a business mission to Johannesburg, South Africa, in connection with the B20 Summit from November 17th to November 22nd. Seven Norwegian companies participated in the delegation and gained access to the B20 Summit organized by BUSA.

Solveig Tangen from NABA and Katarina Sætersdal from NHO led the Norwegian Delegation to the B20 Summit 2025.

On Tuesday, November 18th, the week began with attendance at the Bloomberg Africa Summit, an official side event to the B20. The Bloomberg Summit focused on the importance of financing Africa's future, growth, stability and innovation. Speakers including Patrice Motsepe (Founder and Chairman Rainbow Capital), Daniel Pinto (Vice Chairman, JPMorgan Chase), Patric (Ceo, Public Investment Corporation), Emrie Brown (CEO, Rand Merchant bank), Ronald Lamola (Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa), Jermy Awori (Group CEO, Ecobank) and H.E. Wamkele Mene (Secretary General, AfCFTA). The Norwegian delegation was also invited to the OECD side event, OECD Impact, B20 Drive: The Business at OECD Nexus.

Investment Roundtable Lunch organised by NABA in Johannesburg, 2025.

On Wednesday, November 19th, the B20 Summit officially commenced with several keynote speeches and breakout sessions. Chris Brett, President at Altera Production at Altera Infrastructure and Bård Vegard Solhjell, the CEO of Renewables Norway, were invited to speak during the session AI-Energy Nexus, Balancing Intelligence and Power in a Decarbonising World. The Norwegian delegation was graciously invited by Ambassador Gjermund Sæther to a networking dinner at the Norwegian residence in Pretoria. This dinner provided an excellent opportunity for insightful discussions regarding the investment landscape in South Africa, as well as the ongoing processes related to the G20 agenda for 2025.

Thursday 20th of November the B20 Summit continued where the Norwegian delegation participated in a series of sessions and had the honor of attending the President of South-Africa, Mr. Ramaphosa’s address to the private sector present at B20. 

NABA Member Chris Brett, President at Altera Production at Altera Infrastructure and Bård Vegard Solhjell, the CEO of Renewables Norway speaking on the main stage during the B20 Summit 2025 in Johannesburg.

On Friday, November 21st, NHO and NABA joined the Norwegian Embassy in welcoming the Norwegian Prime Minister during his visit to Mainstream Renewable Energy, a solar facility featuring a 96 MW solar park located outside Johannesburg. The Deputy Minister of Electricity, Samantha Jane Graham-Maré, also participated in the site visit, highlighting the longstanding relationship and partnership between Norway and South Africa. The Prime Minister emphasized Norway's commitment to mobilizing private investment in the African continent to enhance access to clean and sustainable energy. In the afternoon, the Norwegian delegation attended the Africa Finance Corporation side event before returning to Norway.

On Saturday, November 22nd, NHO, NABA and Norfund had the honor of being invited to an investment dinner organized by Genesis Energy, a NABA member company. The guest of honor for the evening was H.E. Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda, the Governor of Katsina State, Nigeria.

Solveig Tangen (NABA) and Katarina Sætersdal (NHO) with the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre in Johannesburg, 2025

We want to take this opportunity to thank all of the delegates that participated, representatives from government and the private sector in South Africa, especially BUSA, as well as the Norwegian Embassy in Pretoria for making the business mission an outstanding success.

We highly appreciate feedback from the Norwegian delegation:

“Being a part of the NABA/NHO delegation to the Bloomberg Africa Business Summit and the B20 Summit in Johannesburg was both a great privilege and very fruitful. The B20 summit offered a unique opportunity to meet with business leaders from the largest economies in the world with a shared passion to invest more in Africa. 

The busy schedule was also a testimony to NABA’s position as a bridge between the Norwegian and African business community, facilitating connections across sectors and countries on the continent. As Norway’s representative in the Board of Directors at the African Development Bank, I was also glad to see Norwegian companies’ growing appetite for investment opportunities in Africa – especially in the energy sector. Already established partnerships between the Bank and Norwegian companies were reaffirmed and potential new ones were identified. Thanks to NABA I was able to make the most out of this landmark event for Africa!”

Svein Arne Lende - Advisor to the Executive Director Representing Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, India and Ireland - African Development Bank

“We are pleased to have had a highly successful trip to the B20 Summit in Johannesburg, excellently hosted by the NABA team under the leadership of Solveig Tangen. It was an honour to join the official delegation and take part in key discussions on geopolitics, climate impact and economic developments across the African continent. We also formed several promising long-term relationships that we believe will strengthen our presence in Africa. Our sincere thanks to the entire NABA team — and especially to Solveig Tangen — for their outstanding organisation and support.”

Accelerate Capital

“Altera greatly appreciates the outstanding support from NABA and NHO at the B20 Summit. Their coordination and network delivered high-quality business meetings that added real value to our West Africa growth efforts.”

Altera Infrastructure