Joint Meeting of Ministers for Energy and Water Held on May 27
The opening session of the Joint Meeting of the Committee of Ministers for Energy and Water took place on May 27, 2024.
Minister João Baptista Borges chaired the event, emphasizing its purpose: to address and prepare key issues for review and approval by the respective Committees of Ministers.
Focus Areas in the Energy Sector
Discussions in the energy sector revolved around:
- Progress since the last ministerial meeting.
- Ensuring energy supply security.
- Advancing SADC’s sustainable development priorities for the regional energy sector.
- Proposing a Regional Transport Infrastructure Financing Mechanism (RTIFF).
The meeting also reviewed:
- Updates on the amended SADC Protocol on Energy (1996).
- Regional regulatory initiatives, including enhancing national energy regulators and RERA (Regional Electricity Regulators Association), moving toward a Regional Regulatory Authority.
- Promotion of renewable and new energy sources.
- Operationalizing SACREEE (SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency) as a legal entity, including progress in signing and ratifying SACREEE IGMOA.
- Migration to cleaner fuels, such as low-sulfur diesel.
- A proposal for a Just Energy Transition within the SADC region.
Focus Areas in the Water Sector
Ministers discussed achievements in regional initiatives targeting:
- Improvements in water and sanitation services across SADC member states.
- Development of transboundary water projects led by basin organizations.
- Financing and development of regional and transboundary water infrastructure.
Additionally, they reviewed:
- Progress in implementing phase two of the regional groundwater program, supported by the SADC Water Fund and other partners.
- Combined water-energy-food project initiatives within member states.
- Revisions to regional water policies and a strategy for resource mobilization in the water sector.
About SADC
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is a regional organization of 16 member states. Established in 1980 as the Southern Africa Development Coordination Conference, it became SADC in August 1992 to enhance regional cooperation.
Upcoming Events
The Joint Ministerial Meeting will be preceded by sector expert sessions from May 27 to 31, 2024.
Issued by the Information Technology, Institutional Communication, and Press Office of the Ministry of Energy and Water, Luanda, May 28, 2024. João Baptista Borges João Baptista Borges