President Paul Kagame is expected to lead the East African Delegation for the East African Business Council and Afrika Verein, a German based association conference next week. The conference scheduled for September 6-7 in Frankfurt, Germany is to discuss among other things modalities of transfer of modern technologies and investments in the energy sector in the region to enhance a win-win scenario for both East African businesses and for high-tech companies in Germany / Europe. A statement by EABC released August 29, Kagame is expected to officially open the two day conference. The conference is organized by the German government. Other energy ministers from the Partner States will also be in the delegation. “The conference is a high profile platform for company executives, technology experts and decision makers from EAC governments,” the release by Bobi Odiko, EABC Communications & Marketing Officer reads in part. Other participants include representatives of the East African Business Council, East African Community, over 100 high-tech energy and finance companies from Germany and a strong delegation of about 70 leaders from the Private Sector in East Africa. The conference follows the recent unveiling of the Bujagali hydroelectric plant in Jinja which once completed will add significant amount of megawatts to the grid. The region has been suffering from unprecedented power shortages with the biting load shedding affecting business especially in Uganda. Despite this aspect, the region has a high potential for Renewable Energies, which are still largely unexploited, including Solar Biomass, Hydro Wind and Geothermal Energy, all which will be discussed at the 2 day meeting. Renewable energies are seen as a key area for Private Sector Partnerships (PSP) and they are much suited for small and medium size investments at the corporate and village level. Energy projects need to be operated and maintained with local business in the EAC region. A Strategy on scaling up access to modern energy services has been developed by EAC, UNDP and the EU technologies and experience in this field are abundant in Germany. According to the press release, other issues to be focused on include identifying electricity for social and productive use, mechanical power for water pumping and productive use and Biofuels for local use and export. The meeting is expected to be used as a marketing forum and exchange of experiences regarding the regulatory framework, presentation of best practices and business to business networking meetings. It is hoped that the conference will further identify main potentials in the field of renewable energies for EABC members as well as the main obstacles – especially taking into account the view of German industry.Ends
