Meet the GN-SEC at the SADC Sustainable Energy Week, 24 to 28 February 2025 in Botswana

The SADC Sustainable Energy Week, scheduled to take place from 24 to 28 February 2024 in Gaborone, Botswana, will feature the participation of the all centres of the Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centres (GN-SEC). This landmark event, themed ‘Accelerating Sustainable Energy Solutions for an Energy Secure SADC Region’, aims to catalyze the adoption of sustainable energy practices across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. A special GN-SEC conference segment will discuss the role of regional and intra-regional cooperation to accelerate the transition towards renewables and energy efficiency in the Global South. 

The conference is jointly hosted by Botswana’s Ministry of Minerals and Energy (MME) and the SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE). The flagship event is organised in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the SOLTRAIN Programme and with financial support of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). The event will also feature the 6th International Off-grid Renewable Energy Conference (IOREC) and the 8th SOLTRAIN Regional Conference.

Since 2010, UNIDO is supporting regional economic communities in the Global South in the creation and operation of regional sustainable energy centres, that provide technical support and advice to governments to accelerate the transition towards renewables, energy and resource efficiency. The ten centres cover 120 member states, including 40 of 45 least developed countries (LDCs) and 35 of 39 small island developing states (SIDS). Through regional policies, standards and activities they influence the behaviour of 2,2 billion energy consumers. 

The GN-SEC comprises a sub-network for the Africa and Arab region, Latin America and Caribbean, as well as Asia and Pacific, that include the following centres:

1. Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE), in Barbados
2. Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE), in Tonga
3. SICA Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SICREEE), in El Salvador
4. ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) in Cape Verde
5. Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) for Arab States
6. SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE), in Namibia
7. East African Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EACREEE), in Uganda
8. Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency for Central Africa (CEREEAC) in Angola
9. Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Capacity for the Hindu-Kush Himalaya (REEECH), Nepal
10. ECO Clean Energy Centre (CECECO), in partnership with ECO, under creation in Azerbaijan