HON SIMAI MOHAMMED SAID
A PARLIAMENTARIAN AGENDA FOR ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION IN AFRICA THROUGH ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY IN AFRICA BY 2030
1. INTRODUCTION
Like other African countries in Africa,
people of Tanganyika and Zanzibar opposed and fought against colonial
invaders from the very beginning, this included the formation of African
Associations in both Tanganyika and Zanzibar. It is within this highlight,
the United Republic of Tanzania was formed on 26 April 1964 as a
result of the Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. In this regard,
Tanzania became a member of CPA family as the Main Branch
and Zanzibar stands as the Sub – Branch within it.
Back to the main Topic of, A
Parliamentary Agenda for Economic Transformation in Africa through access to
affordable and clean energy as by 2030; it cannot be denied
that, Energy and economic development are inseparable. Without access to
affordable energy, long-term development cannot take place. Energy is
therefore considered as an essential ingredient in economic growth
and social development in Africa.
The growth of energy demand is often driven by
several factors: population growth,economic growth, urbanisation, rural
electrification/energisation programmes, increasing penetration of
energy-intensive appliances, and industrialisation. Accordingly, Energy
is consumed by all sectors of the economy and therefore growth in the economies
of African countries leads to a concomitant rise in the consumption of
energy. On the other hand, the Region is experiencing significant
growth in energy demand and energy supply which appears to have
stagnated or dwindled.
But again, Africa is well endowed with
renewable and non-renewable energy resources that far exceed its energy
demand requirements for the next century. But paradoxically, most African
countries are characterized by energy poverty and poorenergy access, a
reflection of their low income and general state of
economic underdevelopment.
According to Kats (1989), patterns of
energy use in developing countries where African nations are part of
are wasteful – the result of poor policies and planning and the self-
serving development assistance offered by industrialized West. As a
consequence, developed nations almost universally have failed to share in the
larger gains in energy efficiency enjoyed by industrialized
countries. Developing Nations which can at least afford it,
are now stuck with the most wasteful, expensive and environmentally destructive
technologies for both the production and the use of energy.
2. ACCESS TO
CLEAN ENERGY
Renewable energy holds considerable potential
for advancing human development. Energy from renewable sources – water, wind,
the sun and biomass, among others – can facilitate access to clean and safe
energy for millions of people. It can boost social and economic development
while contributing to addressing environmental challenges, and plays a crucial
role in successfully tackling climate change.
With the right support, universal access to
sustainable energy will drive inclusive development. The UN Secretary-General’s
Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative was established in recognition
of the critical importance of energy for development. It sets three goals to be
achieved by 2030: ensuring universal access to modern energy services; doubling
the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and doubling the share of
renewable energy in the global energy mix. Since SE4ALL was launched, over
eighty developing countries have officially signed up to the initiative.
3. AFRICAN
NATIONS AND THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY
It is argued that, because African nations use
relatively little energy, there is little point in trying to cut down energy
waste. In fact, the third world has not shared in the efficiency gains enjoyed
by industrialized countries they are more wasteful of energy and therefore have
more potential to cut waste.
The process of development and the creation of
wealth through expansion of economic activities and services are successfully
achieved when resources are used efficiently. However, it is still argued that,
economic growth must be accompanied by increase energy usage.
Therefore, in every African country where
energy use is wasteful, continued high levels of investment in energy
production without adequate investment in improving efficiency of energy usage
will slow rather than enhance development (Kats, 1989).
If African nation’s are to avoid worsening
power shortages, continuing capital drain from non- energy sectors and decline
economic performance, they must embrace energy efficiency. Efficient production
and use of energy are a prerequisite to achieving sustainable development.
4. EXPERIENCE
FROM TANZANIA
Tanzania is gifted with diverse energy sources
most of which are untapped, these include biomass, hydro, uranium, natural gas,
coal, geothermal, solar and wind. The primary energy supply includes biomass
(90%); petroleum products (8%); electricity (1.5%), and the remaining (0.5%) is
contributed by coal and other renewable energy sources.
More than 80% of energy delivered from biomass
is consumed in rural areas; heavy dependence on biomass as the main energy
source contributes to deforestation, while the importation of oil costs about
25% to 35% of the nation’s foreign currency earnings. To-date only about 18.4%
of the country's population has gained access to electricity. Extending the
National Grid to many parts of the country including rural areas is not
financially and economically feasible.
4.1 Institutional
Set-up and Actors in the Energy Sector
(a) The
Ministry of Energy and Minerals (MEM)
The Government through MEM formulates energy
policy. The Electricity Act focuses on restructuring the electricity supply
industry - attracting private sector and other participation thus bringing the
end of TANESCO monopoly. At present the electricity sector’s act provides
separate licenses for generation, transmission and distribution
(b) Energy and
Water Utility Regulatory Authority (EWURA)
Is responsible for technical and economic
regulation of the electricity, petroleum, natural gas and water.
(c) Rural
Energy Agency (REA)
Is responsible for boosting modern energy
services in rural
Areas.
4.2 Improving
Policies and Management in the Energy Sector
Recognizing the importance of energy in the
development process, Tanzania’s Energy Policy of 1992 has been reviewed and
culminated into the National Energy Policy of 2003. The policy among others,
calls for ensuring availability of reliable and affordable energy supplies and
their use in a rational and sustainable manner in order to support national
development goals.
It further calls for establishment of an
efficient energy production, procurement, transportation, distribution and
end-use systems in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner, this
includes the need to put in place an appropriate institutional
arrangement.
In order to operationalise the Policy, a Rural
Energy Agency (REA) and Rural Energy Fund (REF) are being established. To this
end, a Rural Energy Act of 2005 was passed; arrangement to physically establish
the REA and REF are at advanced stage. Environmentally sound energy
technologies are key candidates for promotion under REA and REF
4.3 Improving
access to energy for the underserved
In addressing issues of energy access to the
underserved and in line with other national policies, Tanzania:
(a) Establishment of
the REF to provide capital subsidy to buy down investment cost so as to enhance
affordability for modern energy services including rural electrification;
(b) Liberalization
of the petroleum industry to encourage fair competition;
(c) Electricity
sub-sector has been undergoing reforms to allow more private sector
participation in delivering modern energy services to customers. The power
generation side allows the participation of Independent Power Producers (IPPs)
and so far about 290MW capacity is being generated by IPPs. Currently the
vertically integrated state owned Power utility is being ring-fenced into three
operational entities namely; generation, transmission and distribution;
(d) Commitment in
promoting renewable energy technologies so as to reduce reliance on fossil
fuels.
(e) Replacement
of heavy FUEL OIL with NATURAL GAS at one of the three
cement processing factories. Natural gas is also being used in some parts
of Dar es salaam based brewery, textile, glass and steel processing
factories.
4.4 Promoting
Renewable Sources of Energy
At present the following renewable sources of
energy are being promoted or assessed:
▪ Hydropower
(both small and large-scale), modern biomass (co-generation, improved stoves,
improved charcoal production, thermal-gasification, briquetting, small scale
liquid and gaseous biofuel production, etc.), solar (thermal and electricity),
wind for mechanical and electrical power;
▪ Enhancement of
tree planting campaigns (e.g. Through the National Tree planting day) as
a way to sensitize people to plant trees;
▪ Application of
improved forest management practices, including community forest management;
and
▪ Wind
Energy for small hydro and geothermal resource assessment.
5. NEED FOR REGIONAL
INTEGRATION
There is an urgent need to integrate energy
policies into broader development strategies in African countries, while at the
same time encouraging regional integration. The West, South, East, Central
African and Nile Basin power-pool schemes are ready examples. For instance, the
West African Power Pool (WAPP) is planned as a joint power-pooling mechanism –
of the West African countries to help integrate the various national power
systems into a unified electricity market.
It therefore argued that, the best solution in
the long run – to energy poverty – would be for nations to cooperate on
regional power solutions by building few large plants, which could supply power
more cheaply and efficiently, than dozens of smaller ones.
The East African Power Pool Project (EAPP) was
expected to come on stream by 2011. When operational, the six East African
states of Kenya Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan will have a
power sharing pool to ease shortages. This strategy will insure the building of
interconnection grids that would enable power flow from places of abundance to
power deficit areas.
The Central African Power Pool (CAPP) would
also help the development of the power sector in Central Africa. The CAPP
vision is to exploit the enormous hydroelectric potentialities of Central
Africa and to satisfy all demands in electricity for the household, states and
central African industry. The Nile Basin Power Forum (NBPF) “recognizes the
significant socioeconomic and power-system benefits that can be realized from
regional cooperation. This forum provides an important means for cooperating in
the development of electric power resources in the Nile Basin.” Furthermore,
NBPF will build on national power master and regional plans, with linkages to
existing power forums.
We are confident that energy initiatives that
are operational under the African Energy Commission (AFREC) 3 and the New
African Union vision under agenda 2063 will serve to set regional energy
priorities. These initiatives will also help integrate the energy policies of
several African countries, to realize energy’s crucial role in the attainment
of Economic Transformation through clean energy.
6. AFRICAN NATIONS
PARLIAMENTS AND THE AGENDA OF 2030
In September 2015, Member States adopted the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as a direct follow-up to the outcome
of the Rio+20 Conference in 2012 when Member States committed to reinvigorating
the global partnership for sustainable development and to working together with
major groups and other stakeholders in addressing implementation gaps. The 2030
Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 accompanying
targets. Among other thematic areas, Member States identified energy as one of
the priorities.
Sustainable energy is a key enabler of
sustainable development for all countries and all people. Countries will not be
able to achieve their development goals without access to reliable and
affordable sustainable energy services. Energy is critical to tackling poverty
eradication, while decarbonizing energy is central to mitigating climate
change. However, Energy powers opportunities transforms lives,
economies and countries. As a result of the key role that energy plays in
sustainable development, a stand-alone goal for energy now exists: Energy SDG 7
is to “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy
for all”.
However, according to the
African Union Commission (2015) African countries adopt AGENDA
2063, as a collective vision and roadmap for the next fifty years. Aim of
this Agenda is to speed-up among other actions, eradication of
poverty in the coming decades, through enhanced investment in the
productive capacities (skills and assets) of our people, improving incomes,
creating jobs and providing basic necessities of life.
It also aiming at harnessing all African
energy resources to ensure modern, efficient, reliable, cost-effective,
renewable and environmentally friendly energy to all African households,
businesses, industries and institutions. This is through building the
national and regional energy pools and grids, and PIDA energy projects.
These two agendas clearly touches issues of
economic transformation through access to affordable energy. It is my hope
that, we parliamentarians will use our constitutional roles to see that
these agendas have clear Avenue in our countries.
7. WHAT
PARLIAMENTARIANS CAN DO
To ensure better Economic
transformation in Africa through access to affordable
and clean energy by 2030; Parliamentarians
can do the following: -
(i) To enact
Laws;
Promoting enaction of Laws and
policies that will provide a concrete option that will spur debate
and discussion on pertinent issues such as energy and
specificallyrenewable of clear and clean energy.
(ii) Oversight
Function
The regular work of Parliamentarians is
examined through a legislature of departmental committees and more generally,
by a committee on public accounts, commonly referred to as the Public Accounts
Committee or PAC; and other Committee of the same nature. These groups subject
the financial operations of government and semi-governmental undertakings to
close examination usually by reviewing reports of the Auditor General on the
past year’s accounts.
Therefore, through field visits to
various projects; parliamentarians are offered a unique
opportunity to see how renewable energy development can impact communities and
transform lives. Therefore, it will be easy to witness first hand if
and how approved projects are being managed and implemented.
(iii) To
scrutinize government policy and administration, including proposal for
expenditure; and debating major Agenda including the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) in which energy has been identified as one
of the priorities.
(iiii) Government
support to Local Project
Advising Government to support Local projects
that provides linkage to other projects that will enable the
transformation and access to clean and clear energy.
Energy efficiency undertakes major functions
on sustainable emancipation of institutions and countries. It has become very
important to substitute fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy as they
have been linked to significant reduction in carbon emissions, mitigate climate
change as well as solve many challenges associated with energy poverty.
However, it must be emphasized that exploitation of non-exhaustible sources of
energy is only sustainable if they are consumed in ways that do not cause
damage to existing environments.
Thus, weak energy policies as well as
inefficient energy technology contribute to unsustainability even when
renewable sources of energy have been adopted. As Parliamentarians we have to
make sure that strong policies for clean energy in our nations are formulated
but again oversight of what we deliberate or conventionally agreed are well
domesticated to transformation our economies. Additionally, an important energy
efficient strategy towards improving residential area sustainability involve
instituting energy reward systems, improving environmental quality,
establishing green homes, energy saving house appliances, renewable energy
utility and improving public awareness on energy matters. On that account,
a sustainable future is imperative when sound structures that address energy
consumption matters have to be established in our nations, implemented and
adequately furnished with clear monitoring and regulative frameworks. This can
be achieved when parliamentarians effectively play their roles.
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