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Standardised Policy and Guidelines
Another milestone in the transport sector was realised through the Tripartite Transport
and Transit Facilitation Programme (TTTFP), which is a Programme Management Unit
based at and led by the SADC Secretariat.
Under the TTTFP, technical assistance and support is provided to Member States in
various areas including capacity development for ministries responsible for transport and road
transport sector regulations; and implementation of Vehicle Load Management Initiative,
Vehicle Regulations and Standards, and Cross Border Third Party Motor Vehicle Schemes.
Since the launch of the TTTFP in 2017, the achieved milestones include the de-
velopment and validation of a Vehicle Load Management Agreement; Multilateral Cross
Border Road Transport Agreement; national and regional sensitisation in 17 of the 21
Tripartite Member/Partner States to identify technical assistance requirements; and es-
tablishment of the Cross Border Road Transport Regulators Forum. Continued efforts are
being extended to Member States towards standardised policy frameworks and guidelines.

Energy Sector

Most of the achievements in the energy sector have been realised through the
establishment of the Protocol on Energy. Signed in 1996 and entering into force
in 1998, the Protocol aims to promote the harmonious development of national energy
policies and matters of common interest for the balanced and equitable development of
energy throughout the region. 111
In line with a June 2018 decision by Energy Ministers, SADC has begun steps to
review the Protocol on Energy to consolidate the policy and regulatory environment for
the region’s energy sector, as well as to align the Protocol to new and emerging trends.

Strong Energy Institutions
The development of the Protocol on Energy has allowed SADC to establish vibrant insti-
tutions to coordinate energy development in the region. These institutions are the Southern
African Power Pool (SAPP) established in August 1995; the Regional Electricity Regulators
Association of Southern Africa (RERA) launched in 2002; and the SADC Centre for Re-
newable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) that became operational in 2018.
SAPP is tasked with coordinating the planning, generation, transmission and mar-
keting of electricity in southern Africa, while SACREEE spearheads the promotion of re-
newable energy development in the region. RERA facilitates the development of regional
regulatory policies, legislation and regulations as well as monitoring and evaluation of elec-
tricity regulatory practices among members, and supports the development of energy regu-
lators in the region.
Through SAPP, the region has a viable platform where power generating entities
in SADC can easily share electricity loads, market surpluses and manage deficits. To date,
nine of the 12 mainland SADC Member States are interconnected to the regional grid
through SAPP, allowing them to trade in electricity. These are Botswana, DRC, Eswatini,
Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Improved Electricity Generation
SADC Member States have recorded an increase in power sector investment, addressing
challenges and improving electricity generation in the region. In the 10 years from 2008
to 2018, a total of 24,554 Megawatts (MW) of new energy was commissioned by SADC.
The Energy Sector Plan and the RIDMP have identified a total of 73 power gen-
eration projects that have been prioritised to increase generation from the current inad-
equate levels to the projected demand of 96,000 MW by 2027. As a result of this regional
cooperation in energy planning, in 2007 SADC registered for the first time in a decade a
surplus electricity-generation capacity of about 2,616 MW, which went a long way in eas-
ing the power shortages experienced by most Member States.