African energy ministers set to meet in Tanzania over power trade
23/9/2008 17:47
African ministers responsible for energy from nine countries bordering the
Nile will meet in Tanzania this week to review how to economically benefit from
the waters that has been a source of conflict in the region.
A statement from
the United-Nations-backed Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) said the ministers
responsible for electricity will discuss enhanced cooperation towards regional
power trade.
"The ministers responsible for electricity in the Nile Basin
countries will meet on Thursday in Dar es Salaam to review the Regional Power
Trade Project (RPTP), one of the thematic projects under the Shared Vision
Program of the NBI," the statement said.
The meeting whose theme is
"Enhancing Cooperation towards Regional Power Trade," will deliberate on
progress made by RPTP since it was launched in 2003 by the ministers responsible
for electricity affairs.
They will also receive and review the studies
recommendations, and adopt a strategy of operationalizing these
recommendations.
The statement said the ministers will also provide input to
RPTP Phase II proposal as well as agree on its implementation and on future
sustainability of the RPTP outputs and functions of Phase I and II in view of
the different power development and power trade initiatives.
The ministers'
conference is timely as it is taking place when there is increased recognition,
awareness and support of the regional approach to the Power sector development
as evidenced by the number of regional interconnection projects
underway.
These include Ethiopia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Interconnection
ring around Lake Victoria, Rusumo HEP, and the interconnections among the
countries in the equatorial lakes region.
The four year Regional Power Trade
Project is funded through the Nile Basin Trust Fund to the tune of US$13.1
million.
The Fund is managed by the World Bank through contributions from the
Governments of Norway and Sweden and in-kind contributions of US$0.88 million
from the governments of the nine cooperating states of the Nile Basin
Countries.
The project will contribute to regional energy integration which
will play a key role in poverty reduction.
Access to electricity will also
reduce the negative impacts of inadequate modern energy access, especially for
women, who bear a disproportionately high burden.
Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda,
Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, (Eritrea is an Observer), to Achieve sustainable
socio-economic development through equitable utilization of and the benefits
from the common Nile Basin water resources.
Xinhua
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