Gridworks, the UK government-backed investor in Africa’s electricity networks, today announced the appointment of Erik Knive as its new Chief Executive Officer. Erik will take up his new role in January 2025.
Erik Knive brings extensive experience from his most recent role at Aker Horizons, a listed Norwegian multinational, where he led investments in green industries, including renewable power production, carbon capture technology, and the global development of hydrogen and its derivatives.
Previously, Erik served as Group CEO of SN Power, a global renewable energy company focused on middle-income and developing markets. He also held the position of Group CEO at Green Resources, an Africa-focused forestry and forestry products company. Additionally, Erik has held senior management roles in various telecommunications companies worldwide. Throughout his 30-year career, Erik has lived in 12 countries and served on over 30 boards.
A Norwegian national, Erik was educated at Harvard Business School and the University of New Orleans. He is also a certified pilot.
Welcoming the appointment, Gridworks’ Acting Chair, Dr Snowy Khoza said:
“The Board is delighted to welcome Erik as our new CEO. Erik has extensive experience in leading complex organisations, particularly in the power development and investment sector. His proven track record of driving growth and innovation, coupled with his international perspective and leadership acumen, will be invaluable as we maintain our strategy and mission to be the leading developer and investor in Africa’s electricity networks. The Board would also like to thank our Interim co-CEOs, Chris Flavin and Mark Richards who have provided crucial leadership this year as Gridworks has unveiled a series of important new initiatives.
Erik Knive said:
“It’s a privilege to take on this new role and I look forward to working with our team, our shareholder and all our partners to build on the progress that Gridworks has made so far. Well-functioning electricity networks are vital to Africa, where most businesses struggle daily to deal with unreliable power and only half the continent has access to electricity. I’m joining at an exciting time for the company and for Africa’s electricity sector. With its team of dedicated sector experts and an impressive portfolio and pipeline, Gridworks has the potential to transform the lives of millions of people.”
An investor in Africa’s electricity transmission & distribution sector, Gridworks is a subsidiary of British International Investment (“BII”), the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor.
Holger Rothenbusch, Managing Director and Head of Infrastructure at BII, said:
“I am delighted that Erik is joining Gridworks, at a critically important time, to lead it on its next stage of growth. About 600 million people in Africa still don’t have access to reliable and affordable electricity. BII created Gridworks as a developer, owner and operator specialising in power transmission and distribution in Africa as we believe investing in electricity networks is crucial. Erik, with his significant experience, will further build on the foundations of Gridworks as the continent’s first dedicated investor and developer in electricity networks.”
Gridworks is developing a series of ground-breaking projects to bring clean, affordable and reliable power to Africa’s people and its businesses. These include:
Amari Power Transmission: One of Africa’s first privately financed transmission projects, Amari is an independent transmission project in Uganda that will upgrade four key substations on the grid. Amari is at the forefront of a new wave of Independent Power Transmission projects that offer African governments an alternative way of funding critical infrastructure without needing to increase government borrowing.
Moyi Power: An ambitious program to build greenfield, solar-powered utilities providing electricity to a million people in three isolated cities in northern DRC.
Anzana Electric Group: An African utility that develops, invests, and operates distributed renewable power generation and grid distribution projects that bring reliable and low-cost power to rural communities across southern and eastern Africa.
Chimuara-Nacala: In June this year, Gridworks announced an agreement with Mozambique’s electricity utility to deliver Phase II and III of the Chimuara-Nacala power transmission project. Connecting central and northern regions of the country, the project will build 450km of new transmission lines and two new substations and supports the Government of Mozambique’s plans to improve power access and reliability.
Sustainable Power Solutions (SPS): SPS is a distributed renewable energy company that provides solar energy and battery storage solutions to business customers across Africa.
Media contact:
Rhyddid Carter, Head of Communications ([email protected])