Joint Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Energy and Water Sectors Held on May 27
The Committee of Ministers responsible for the Energy and Water Sectors gathered for their Joint Meeting on May 27, 2024.
Minister João Baptista Borges chaired the session, emphasizing the meeting’s role in addressing key issues and preparing important topics for further consideration and approval by the relevant Energy and Water Committees.
In the Energy Sector, ministers will assess the progress since the previous meeting, focus on energy supply security, and review developments in SADC’s priority areas for sustainable energy sector development. They will also discuss the proposal for creating a Regional Transport Infrastructure Financing Mechanism (RTIFF).
Key discussions will include updates on revising the SADC Protocol on Energy (1996), ongoing regional regulatory initiatives, and strengthening national energy regulators and the Regional Electricity Regulators Association (RERA) as part of efforts to establish a Regional Regulatory Authority. Other agenda items will include the promotion of renewable and new energy sources, the establishment of SACREEE (SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency) as a legal entity, the signing and ratification of SACREEE IGMOA, and the region’s move toward cleaner fuels, including low-sulfur diesel. A proposal for a Just Energy Transition in the SADC region will also be presented.
In the Water Sector, the ministers will review regional initiatives aimed at enhancing water and sanitation services in SADC member states, alongside transboundary water projects managed by basin organizations. The progress in financing and developing regional water infrastructure, including cross-border water systems, will also be evaluated.
The second phase of the regional groundwater program, supported by the SADC Water Fund and other partners, will be reviewed along with the water-energy-food integration project being implemented in member states.
Ministers will also receive updates on the revision of regional water policies and efforts to develop a strategy for resource mobilization in the water sector.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC), founded in 1980 with sixteen (16) member states, was originally known as the Southern Africa Development Coordination Conference before becoming the Southern African Development Community in August 1992.
The Joint Meeting of Ministers for Energy and Water will be preceded by a meeting 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
