A Call to Action for a Regional Just Energy Transition

Regional centres called for Action for a Regional Just Energy Transition at the recently concluded SADC Sustainable Energy Week and the 7th GN-SEC Steering Committee Meeting (SCM). Represented by Executive Director Canon Goddy Muhanguzi Muhumuza and Technical Expert Yunus Alokore, EACREEE participated in the meeting on February 28, 2025.

Discussions focused on the role of regional and intra-regional renewable power markets in driving industry competitiveness and energy security, as well as the acceleration of access to clean cooking solutions through regional market creation and supply. Speakers from EACREEE, ECREEE, CEREEAC and RCREEE contributed to the discussion. In his submission, the Technical Expert emphasised the benefit of developing regional power markets to unlock access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy. He also highlighted the untapped renewable energy potential of the EAC partner States, particularly in geothermal, hydropower, solar and wind stressing the need for strong regional power markets to harness these resources effectively.

Additionally, he reiterated the importance of harmonization of standards in the clean cooking sector and called for the removal of trade barriers that hinder the transboundary movement of clean cooking technologies. The Steering Committee Meeting was held during the SADC Sustainable Energy Week in Gaborone, Botswana. It was organised by the Government of Botswana and the Ministry of Minerals and Energy through SACREEE in collaboration with the Austrian Development Agency, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation and the International Renewable Energy Agency, from February 24–28, 2025