28 August 2006 - The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and REN21
organised a discussion on Renewable Energy in Africa: Lessons Learnt and
Lessons Applied for policies and market transformation in Sub-Sahara.
The new CEO of the GEF, Monique Barbut (picture) former Director of UNEP
DTIE and host of the REN21 Secretariat, had suggested this side event to
take place during the third GEF Assembly in Cape Town. The event was
chaired by Richard Hosier from GEF and Member of the REN21 Steering
Committee.
Opening the event, Paul Suding from the REN21 Secretariat drew
conclusions from the REN21 Global Status Report and the IAP follow up
for renewable energy in developing countries.
The focus of the discussion turned specifically towards South Africa when Kevin Nassiep,
CEO of SANERI and former Director in the Department of Minerals and
Energy, gave an up-to-date and close insight into the renewable energy
policies in South Africa.
The critical issues of renewable energy for
energy access and renewable energy for low-income countries in
particular was debated when John Titus, Acting Secretary from the
Ministry of Mines and Energy in Namibia, presented the renewable energy
strategy in Namibia, and when Hassan Wardi, the Sudanese CTA gave an
account of the achievements of the UNDP-GEF supported project on
photovoltaic (PV) market in Tanzania.
The presentations and the discussion reflected some very positive
renewable energy development taking place in African countries, with
indication that the policies undertaken could prove instrumental for
improving energy access in some countries at a time when the energy
supply situations has become critical, aggravated further by climate
effects.
