The Joint Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Energy and Water Sector Took Place on May 27
Yesterday, May 27, 2024, the Joint Meeting of the Committee of Ministers Responsible for Energy and Water Sectors officially opened.
Minister João Baptista Borges chaired the event, emphasizing that the purpose of the meeting was to address key issues and prepare critical matters for approval by the Committees of Ministers responsible for Energy and Water.
In the Energy Sector, the focus of the deliberations will be on the progress made since the previous ministerial meeting, energy supply security, developments in SADC’s priority areas for sustainable energy sector growth, and a proposal for establishing a Regional Transport Infrastructure Financing Mechanism (RTIFF).
The ministers will also assess the ongoing progress in signing the revised SADC Protocol on Energy of 1996, regulatory initiatives in the energy sector, and the strengthening of national energy regulators and the Regional Electricity Regulators Association (RERA) as steps toward forming a Regional Regulatory Authority. Furthermore, discussions will cover the promotion of new and renewable energy sources, the legal operationalization of SACREEE (SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency), the progress of SACREEE IGMOA’s signing and ratification, and the shift to cleaner fuels, including low-sulfur diesel in the region. A proposal for a Just Energy Transition in the SADC region will also be reviewed.
In the Water Sector, ministers will discuss regional progress in improving water and sanitation services in SADC member states and examine transboundary water projects led by basin organizations. The ministers will also assess progress in financing and developing regional water infrastructure, including transboundary water projects.
The meeting will also review the implementation of the second phase of the regional groundwater program, supported by the SADC Water Fund and other partners, along with initiatives for combined water-energy-food projects across member states.
Updates will also be provided on efforts to revise regional water policies and develop a strategy for regional resource mobilization within the water sector.
It is important to note that the Southern African Development Community (SADC), an organization comprising 16 member states, was founded in 1980 as the Southern Africa Development Coordination Conference and transitioned to the Southern African Development Community in August 1992.
The Joint Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Energy and Water will be preceded by a gathering of sector experts from May 27 to 31, 2024.
Information Technology, Institutional Communication, and Press Office of the Ministry of Energy and Water, Luanda, May 28, 2024 João Baptista Borges João Baptista Borges
