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Envoy asks Europe, private sector to invest in Africa's energy industr

Envoy asks Europe, private sector to invest in Africa's energy industr
By Joan Chirwa
Saturday September 20, 2008 [04:00]

EUROPEAN countries and the private sector have been asked to mobilise resources for investments in Africa’s energy industry. In a joint statement signed by European commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel, European commissioner for Energy Andris Piebalgs and African Union (AU) commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Dr. Elham Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim, the two parties noted the need for further investments in Africa’s energy sector both in the supply and demand side.

The statement was signed after a high level discussion on the implementation of the Africa-European Union (EU) energy partnership in Addis Ababa, where the two parties called for the promotion of Africaís electrification and agreed to quickly launch a process for elaborating an Electricity Master Plan for the continent.

They agreed on actions to be taken in order to speed up the implementation of the partnership, considering the increasing demand for energy.

They also agreed to further define the Capacity Building Programme in support to the African Power Pools, such as the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and the African Forum for Utility Regulators (AFUR), which will be financed under the Energy Facility.
They further agreed on increasing transparency, promoting energy interconnections in Africa and between Africa and the EU as well as developing a road map for the launching and implementation of a Renewable Energy Cooperation programme.

The joint statement by the EU and AU also stressed the importance of measures in the area of energy efficiency and energy savings.

The EC said it was planning to replenish the Energy Facility Programme and provide additional contribution to the EU-Africa Infrastructure Partnership and its Trust Fund through the 10th European Development Fund (EDF).

Labels: ENERGY

posted by MrK @ 5:09 AM