by Bayano Valy – SANF 07 No 22
Africa is taking steps to strengthen cooperation in energy initiatives as generation capacity fails to keep pace with demand and unstable international oil prices cause havoc to economies.
In many countries on the continent, energy programmes have been in the hands of foreigners. Until recently, for example, the management structure of the Cahora Bassa Dam in Mozambique was controlled by former colonial power, Portugal.
The implication is that Africans should take charge of the course they want to follow in addressing their energy needs, African energy ministers said at the end of a meeting of the Forum of Energy Ministers of Africa (FEMA) held recently in the Mozambican capital, Maputo. The meeting was held under the theme “Energy Security and Sustainability in Africa”.
However, this does not mean development partners would be forgotten, the ministers noted.
A declaration read at the end of the Maputo meeting urged “our development partners to support our new approach by responding in a coordinated manner with the necessary financial commitments and capacity-building support.”
The ministers noted that, while it is true that energy services are crucial to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), progress in meeting “energy needs has been extremely slow”. Hence, a new approach must be undertaken with a new sense of urgency.
Energy is inextricably linked to the MDGs because by overcoming energy poverty African countries could go a long way in halving poverty levels and improving the health of its citizens.
Lack of access to electricity, for example, affects household food security and means that medicines cannot be refrigerated. It also makes it difficult for children to study at night.
The consequence is that people will end up using charcoal and firewood for cooking and lighting, resulting in a high incidence of respiratory diseases because of the smoke. Furthermore, there is an added onus on women and children because they have to spend more time collecting firewood.
It is because of this that the African ministers called for “increasing access to modern energy services which are crucial for the development and associated productive activities as well as addressing the significant negative health and environmental implications of heavy reliance on traditional biomass energy – affecting women and children.”
It is estimated that slightly over 20 percent, and in some countries as little as five percent, of Africa’s population (excluding South Africa and Egypt) have direct access to electricity.
Mozambican President Armando Guebuza said there was need for greater cooperation among African states, and participation of private business and development donors.
“Today we all need each other, if we are all to survive,” he said.
Examples of current cooperation among African states are the Southern African Power Pool and the Western Corridor Energy Project, both in southern Africa.
With an energy shortage looming in southern Africa, it makes sense to strengthen such initiatives.
“A combined solution of using alternative sources of renewable energy, expanding the national grid, and resorting to low cost technologies will contribute to more citizens gaining access to electricity,” said President Guebuza when opening the FEMA meeting.
He agreed with the ministers that Africa has a high potential for generating electricity, but lamented that only a small proportion of the population has access to it.
The major challenge will be to expand the access to all the continent’s citizens, the Mozambican president said.
The drawback is that electricity tariffs in most African countries do not cover production costs.
Guebuza said this is inevitable due to social reasons. Most people on the continent would not afford the electricity if commercial rates were charged.
Guebuza said Mozambique is searching for solutions that can guarantee “clean, sustainable and environment-friendly electricity” through hydropower and natural gas, as well as promoting the use of biofuels.
It also makes sense for Africa to diversify its energy sources when considering the “increased price of petroleum products on the world market, which is reducing our capacity to intervene in other areas,” he said.
Africa is blessed with vast resources to meet all its energy needs. Hydroelectricity is the largest source, with huge reserves of oil and gas found around the continent.
