Luanda - Access to electricity in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region grew from 36% in 2014 to 56% in 2023, the Angolan Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino Azevedo revealed Thursday.
Speaking at the meeting of SADC Energy and Water ministers, based on current statistics, he added that this was slightly higher than average growth in Sub-Saharan Africa.
For the government official, this trend indicates that the region needs to create mechanisms and strategies to promote the production of accessible, viable and preferably clean energy for the benefit and subsistence of citizens in the region.
The priority for regional integration, he said, is to interconnect three Member States (Angola, Malawi and Tanzania) to the Southern African Power Pool network.
This initiative will allow all SADC Member States to bilaterally negotiate energy access through competitive market platforms.
According to the minister, the Malawi and Mozambique interconnection project is at an advanced stage and should be inaugurated in 2024
The African continent, particularly the SADC region, has a significant potential for natural gas resources, the use of which could contribute to the diversification of the energy matrix, thus reducing energy poverty, he said.
To this end, he said, the region must mobilize financial resources for investment in transport and distribution infrastructures.
On the other hand, the reduction in water flow during the El Nino phenomenon caused a decrease in hydroelectric production, which resulted in dependence on alternative, costly sources for the production of electrical energy.
“Although there is some similarity, in the SADC region, demand patterns differ from one country to another, so mitigation measures must be adjusted to the reality of each country”, he said.
Thus, the high temperatures and heat waves that occurred during El Nino resulted in an increase in demand for electricity for air conditioning, because it overloaded energy infrastructures.
The SADC region suffered a negative impact on agricultural production due to the El Nino phenomenon, leading to food insecurity and economic losses for farmers with long-term consequences.
He considered the magnitude of the effects of the El Nino phenomenon with significant implications for the energy and water sector, with emphasis on the consequences of droughts and floods.
He recalled that the aforementioned phenomenon usually leads to incorrect weather patterns, such as prolonged droughts and increased temperatures, in some parts of the region.
Regarding water resources, he said that it caused drought in the region, reducing the availability of water for agriculture and industrial use and affecting sources such as rivers, lakes and water reservoirs.
The decrease in rainfall and a considerable increase in temperature, in many areas of the region, were also highlighted as one of the consequences.
For the paradigm shift, he pointed to improving water management strategies, including conservation, efficient irrigation practices and investment in water infrastructure, as a mitigation measure.
Diversification of the energy sector with investment in alternative energy sources to reduce excessive dependence on hydroelectric power and strengthening climate resilience through an early warning system and adoption of preventive measures against catastrophes were also focused on.
In accordance with SADC treaties and energy and water protocols, ministers must objectively analyze challenging issues and collectively identify medium, short and long-term solutions.
Diamantino Azevedo considered that the region is on the right path towards achieving regional integration.
He said progress was made in line with the master plan and the Energy Sector Plan for Southern Africa.
Sector data indicate that 71 percent of the region's population has access to water and only 40% has adequate sanitation, while irrigated land is at 7%.
The region's management plan aims to increase the figures to reverse the situation. The action plan (2020-2024) is contributing to sector infrastructure based on approved projects. ML/VC/DOJ
