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Michael Makuza, Business Reporter
THE Southern African Development Community (Sadc) has called for increased efforts towards facilitating equitable access to energy and water resources so as to improve livelihoods for ordinary people.
During a meeting in the Democratic Republic of Congo last week, ministers responsible for energy and water from the region stressed the need to expedite implementation of energy and water programmes in line with the aspirations of the Sadc Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 and Vision 2050.
The blue-prints seek to further deepen Southern Africa’s regional integration and foster development. The two strategic plans were approved by member States at the 40th Ordinary Sadc Summit in Maputo, Mozambique in 2020.
In his remarks, Sadc executive secretary, Mr Elias Magosi, said accelerating the implementation of the regional industrialisation and market integration programmes, must be prioritised.
“Energy and water are enablers for industrialisation and are vital pillars in the region’s collective efforts to enhance regional collaboration and integration,” he said.
Mr Magosi emphasised the significance of clean, dependable, reliable and affordable energy and water saying failure to attain these spells doom for people in the region.
DRC Minister of Hydraulic Resources and Electricity, who chaired the ministerial gathering, Olivier Mwenze Mukaleng, said the region should support and secure access to all kinds of energy and water for economic development at the same time developing regulatory frameworks, which will limit environmental and social impact associated with these actions.
“Energy lies at the heart of both the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the Paris Agreement on climate change,” said Mukaleng.
He called for speedy energy transition in the region, by making sure that everyone has access to reliable, sustainable, modern, and affordable energy services in line with the SDG seven, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015.
In the energy sector, the deliberations focused on security of energy supply, energy infrastructure development and progress on targets from the previous Ministerial meeting decisions.
The ministerial meeting further reviewed the regional power generation and transmission projects, petroleum and gas programmes, renewable energy and energy efficiency issues, energy sector regulatory activities implemented by the subsidiary organisations and the international cooperating partners supporting Sadc energy programmes.
The ministers noted and reviewed status on progress of implementation of activities and programmes, and made assessment status of power supply and demand in the region and made commitment to accelerate the implementation of regional priority generation projects.
In the water sector, the ministers evaluated the implementation of phase five of the Sadc Regional Strategic Action Plan on integrated water resources development and management and other programmes and projects executed by SADC-affiliated subsidiarity organizations and river basin organisations.
The meeting was attended by Sadc ministers from Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as representatives from international cooperating partners and implementing agencies.
It was preceded by a three-day meeting of senior officials responsible for the two sectors.
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