The Southern African Development Community committee of ministers responsible for energy and water will hold a Joint Meeting on Friday, November 4 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: SADC.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) will hold a Joint Meeting of ministers responsible for energy and water to discuss a host of issues including examining the status of implementation of the decisions from their previous joint meetings, as well as deliberate on programmes and projects leading to the attainment of energy and water security for the region, SADC said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The meeting will evaluate regional projects in the energy and water sectors that are aligned to the SADC’s objectives and targeted outputs articulated in the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030 and Vision 2050.”
According to a communique, the ministers will also assess the status of implementation of key initiatives recommended by the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government in August in Kinshasa, DRC.
“The ministers’ meeting will be preceded by a Validation Workshop on SADC Regional Gas Master Plan and the meeting of senior officials responsible for energy and water from October 31 to November 3 who will clear documents for ministers’ consideration and decision-making.”
SADC’s energy issues
In 2019, the Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan Assessment Report highlighted an array of energy issues in the SADC region, including that only 32% of rural areas in the region had access to electricity.
SADC also falls behind in Africa regarding access to electricity.
Approximately 50% of the region’s residents have access which is equivalent to the weighted average for sub-Saharan Africa.