African Water Development Report 2006 - United Nations Economic ...

(d) Energy pooling through development ofcross-border gas pipeline networks;(e) Promotion of cross-border energy tradethrough expansion of oil pipeline networks;and(f ) Promoting regional cooperation in selectedoverarching issues.The Southern African Development Community(SADC) Energy Protocol which wasapproved in 1996 and has already entered intoforce commits member States to cooperate andharmonize their national and regional energystrategies, policies and programmes on the basisof common interest. Annex 1 of the Protocolprovides that the SADC Energy CooperationPolicy and Strategy in support of SADC regionalintegration and socio-economic developmentencompasses, among other things, energy trade,integrated resource planning, energy efficiencyand conservation, pricing and demand-side management,NGO and private sector involvement,training and organizational capacity building, researchand development, energy investment andfunding, environment, and collection/processingand dissemination of information and experience.An Energy Sector Action Plan has beendeveloped to implement the SADC CooperationPolicy and Strategy (ECA-ARIA, 2003).The energy objectives of the Economic Communityof West African States (ECOWAS)include cooperation in the coordination andharmonization of member States’ national policiesand programmes. In December 1999, theAuthority of Heads of State and Governmentof ECOWAS approved a master plan for thedevelopment of energy production facilities, theinterconnection of electricity grids of memberStates and the establishment of the West AfricanPower Pool (WAPP).This plan includes:(a) Development of new hydroelectric damsites;(b) Construction or rehabilitation of thermalpower plants;(c) Interconnection of national electricitygrids;(d) Implementation of the West African GasPipeline (WAGP) Project; and(e) Development and implementation of a regionalrenewable energy programme.(ECA-ARIA, 2003)The West African Economic and MonetaryUnion (UEMOA) Council of Energy Ministers,at its first meeting held in Bamako, Maliin April 1997, reshaped, in a “Common EnergyProgramme,” the objectives for energy cooperationas provided for in the Additional Protocol IIto the Treaty establishing UEMOA, which are,among others, to “ensure the security of energysupplies of member States, and ensure the optimalmanagement of energy resources throughsystematic interconnection of electricity gridsand the promotion of new and renewable energies”.Since UEMOA member States are alsoECOWAS members, it was deemed necessary toharmonize the energy policies and programmesof the two RECs. Thus, the UEMOA Councilof Energy Ministers adopted the “UEMOACommon Energy Policy” at its meeting held inOuagadougou, Burkina Faso, in November 2001(ECA-ARIA, 2003).The East African Community’s (EAC) objectivesfor the energy sector include adoption of policiesand mechanisms to promote efficient exploitation,development, joint research and utilization of variousenergy resources available within the region.EAC member States have agreed to cooperatein promoting the development and transmissionof electric power, the development of integratedpolicies on rural electrification, and the interconnectionof their electricity grids. A Committeeon Energy has been established within the EACinstitutional framework and is preparing an EastAfrican Energy Master Plan covering the threekey areas of power, fossil fuels, and new and renewablesources of energy. The World Bank hassecured funding for the preparation of an EACPower Master Plan (ECA-ARIA, 2003).HARNESSING ENERGY FOR DEVELOPMENT225