Comesa: Regional Energy Experts Conducting Peer Review on Member States
The Briefing Issue #52, Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Dear readers,
Energy regulatory authorities in countries that are members of the COMESA Regional Association of Energy Regulators for Eastern and Southern Africa (RAERESA) will be going through peer review to ensure their operations are benchmarked against regional best practices
The first peer review is being conducted this week, from 4 – 6 March 2010 on the Ethiopia Energy Authority (EEA). The findings will be presented to the RAERESA Annual General Meeting (AGM) which will take place on Thursday and Friday this week in Addis Ababa.
RAERESA is a COMESA institution whose role is to support Member States energy regulators build their capacity and information sharing; facilitate energy supply policy, legislation and regulations; inter-regional cooperation; and regional energy regulatory co-operation.
Member countries of RAERESA are those that have established energy regulatory authorities. These are Ethiopia, Burundi, Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Presently, six COMESA countries are in advanced stages of establishing their national energy regulators. These are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Libya, and Somalia. The six are currently associate members of RAERESA.
A select team of energy experts from 13 countries that are members of RAERESA will be conducting peer reviews on the regulatory authority of the Member State that will be hosting the AGM of the regional association of regulators.
The Government of Burundi has established a multi-sectoral regulatory authority in the areas of water and electricity called Agence de Contrôle et de Régulation du secteur de l'eau potable et de l'électricité (the Agency for Control and Regulation of Water and Electricity) - ACR.
In Burundi, the law that governs the ownership and structure of the electricity industry is Law No 1/13 of 23 April 2015 on the reorganization of the electricity sector in Burundi (Electricity Act).
Investment in the electricity sector is liberalized in Burundi and the new Electricity Act of 2015 is favorable to foreign investment. Indeed, from the very first article of the law, the legislator emphasizes: "The purpose of this law is to create a legal framework favorable to investment in the electric energy sector and to liberalize this sector while respecting the conditions of fair and equitable competition and the rights of users and operators.”
Energy is a key pillar and ‘enabler’ of the East African Community Vision 2050. The type, level and intensity of commercial energy use in the region is a key indicator of the degree of economic growth and development. There are, however, major differences between the Community’s member countries concerning the use of energy including oil and gas. The per capita consumption of petroleum products in Kenya, for example, is 14 times higher than it is in Burundi.
The energy sector is largely under the responsibility of the government, but private participation and investment have been fostered by rules and regulations and by the establishment of public tendering processes.
Burundi's energy outlook falls within the framework of Vision 2025, which identifies three main objectives: the establishment of good governance in the rule of law, the development of a strong and competitive economy and improving the quality of life of Burundians.
Fabrice Iranzi
Founding Editor, RegionWeek.com
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Notes & Ressources
https://www.comesa.int/energy-policy-and-regulatory-harmonization/
http://www.enrich-project.eu/sites/default/files/field_files/D2.09_Burundi_National%20Energy%20Report_PK%20UB.pdf
https://www.ppbdi.com/index.php/extras/economie-sciences-education-formation/2838-acr-regulation-du-secteur-de-l-eau-et-de-l-electricite
https://practiceguides.chambers.com/practice-guides/alternative-energy-power-2019/burundi
IN THE REGION
A bridge on the Morogoro-Dodoma highway near Dumila in Tanzania, which collapsed on Monday, March 2 due to heavy rain is likely to cause delays in the transportation of Rwanda’s goods, according to local traders. The rain-damaged road is the only route for goods coming to Rwanda from Dar es Salaam port. Fred Seka, the President of the Federation of East Africa Freight Forwarders told The New Times that delays to repair the road will trigger business losses.“This is the only route that traders use from Dar es Salaam, it’s the only alternative. The other alternative is Mombasa on the Kenyan side,” he said. (The Newtimes)
A Ugandan court sent an independent filmmaker to jail on Wednesday after he was accused of singing subversive songs while producing a documentary about a pop star seeking to unseat the long-serving president, his attorney said. The jailing of Moses Bwayo is part of what government critics call an escalating clampdown on independent media and the opposition ahead of a presidential election in the East African country early next year. Bwayo was first arrested on Feb. 24 as he filmed a documentary about Bobi Wine, the pop star-turned-legislator who wants to wrest power from 75-year-old President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled for more than three decades. (VOA)
Kenya on Wednesday accused Somalia of an "unwarranted attack" on the frontier town of Mandera during heavy fighting over the border between government and regional forces. Already fraught tensions between Nairobi and Mogadishu have soared in recent days, with both sides issuing strongly-worded statements accusing each other of encroaching on border territory. Temperatures rose further after heavy fighting erupted on Monday in the Somali border town of Bulohawo between Somali government troops and forces from the semi-autonomous region of Jubaland. Legislators from the nearby Kenyan town of Mandera said the fighting was so intense it caused residents there to flee and take shelter. A Kenyan government statement condemning "violations of the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty" appeared to indicate that Somali forces had crossed into Mandera during the battle.(Aljazeera)
In February 2020, we covered in our daily briefings, a range of topics that are of interest to Burundi and East Africa because, with the proliferation of information, we believe that the importance of filtering information has never been more important.
We understand that it is exceptionally difficult for business leaders and highly productive Professionals to stay current on all important news. We filter the news, to bring to you concise information about game-changing events and insights.
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