ECA, partners train experts on modelling tools for energy efficiency

ECA, partners train experts on modelling tools for energy efficiency

Energy

By Lucy Ogalue

Abuja, June 20, 2024 (NAN) The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) have trained 83 national experts on modelling tools for energy efficiency.

Ms Mekalia Paulos, Research Officer, Energy Transition and Climate Finance in the Climate Change, Food Security and Natural Resources Division of ECA, said this in a statement on the commission’s website.

Paulos said the training was designed to create optimised investments for energy transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient development in Africa.

“Co-convened by the ECA and the Climate Compatible Growth (CCG), the Energy Modelling Platform for Africa (EMP-A) is a capacity-building initiative.

“It is designed to create optimised investments for the energy transition in Africa and to meet its growing demand for low-carbon development.

“The EMP-A became necessary as African countries found themselves at a critical juncture, where global decarbonisation efforts are gaining pace, demanding a holistic, system-wide shift towards low carbon development pathways,” Paulos said.

Paulos said there was an urgent need for strategic long-term energy planning on the continent.

He said especially as Africa strived to meet the considerable energy requirements of its rising population, attain the SDGs and realise its industrialisation ambitions enshrined in Agenda 2063.

“Harnessing open-source modelling tools, the EMP-A can support African governments analyse policies and challenges specific to their respective countries.

“This will be done in such a way as to ensure their energy resources meet national imperatives towards sustainability and climate-resilient growth.

“This is crucial as local ownership and sustainability of the process is essential for continuity and real developmental impact,”she said.

The CCG programme is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to support investment in sustainable energy and transport systems to meet development priorities in the Global South.

The training brought together the energy planning and modelling community in Africa to share experiences, models, and data in climate, land, energy, and water systems.

The ECA organised a panel session on the Africa Energy Dialogues to stimulate open, evidence-based discourse across Africa.

It aims to stimulate public and private sector stakeholders, research institutions, civil society, and development partners on issues related to the design and implementation of African countries’ energy pathways.

Titled “Data-Driven Policymaking in Africa’s Energy Transitions”, and moderated by Paulos of the ECA, the panel brought together experts from Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa.

“It delved deeper into the challenges and opportunities the energy transition presents as well as shared perspectives on how data and the modelling tools provided by the EMP-A can inform their respective transition plans.

“There was consensus for African voices to converge in the development of energy transition and crucially, the urgent need for strengthened international cooperation increasing concessional finance and de-risking facilities.

“Which will be pivotal for amplifying private investment on the continent. Notably, mobilising domestic sources of capital and local currency funding will be vital.

Mercy Kimwa, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Kenya said, “The training will greatly contribute to my work as we embark on implementing the Kenya Energy Transition and Implementation Plan.

“Considering the priorities for the current government, we will be able to run scenarios that relate to the BETA agenda and see how best to adopt the strategy to meet the current government priorities,” KImwa said.

Imaculada Dos-Santos, from the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), Mozambique said “MIREME was already developing an integrated planning platform.

According to her, the results of the training will be useful in supporting the decision-making on which (energy) technologies will be implemented in the country.

Similarly, Alison Hughes, a researcher from the University of Cape Town, said, “The training sessions placed firm deliverables on the various teams, and it was an opportunity to interrogate and present model results.”

According to Hughes, improving energy access in Africa in the context of SDG7 goals requires game-changing policies and investment.

She said the goal should be pursued within the context of a transitioning energy system that leveraged the continent’s immense clean energy potential while phasing out carbon-intensive technologies and resources.

The EMP-A continues to gain interest and momentum, growing year on year in participant numbers.  The first EMP-A training took place in 2018 in Addis Ababa. The 2024 iteration is the fifth.

The course attracted participants from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

The training which ended in a high-level meeting attracted collaboration with World Resources Institute, Africa, Sustainable Energy for All, the African Union Commission, and the African Energy Commission. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

LCN/EAL

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Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi