BY HAFTU GEBREZGABIHER
The Ethiopian mega-dam that has been constructed in the lower gorge of the Abay (Nile) river basin for a decade is nearing completion despite the freshwater deadlock with the lower riparian states renewed by Egypt and Sudan.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is expected to take over 60 million people out of darkness, expand the economy, promotes sustainable development and water conservation and protects flooding in the lower riparian countries, reduce poverty, create an integrated regional economy, according to experts analysis.
Global organizations such as WB, UNs and AU agree that energy plays a central role in speeding up a given state’s economy. The GERD is amongst the top projects in Ethiopia with its multifaceted returns for sustainable economic advancement beyond energy supply.
In Ethiopia, a country that contributes over 85 per cent of water resources to the Nile basin, 60 per cent of its total population while in Rwanda 30 per cent the populations have no access to electricity well as in Burundi only 11 per cent the total population has no access to electricity. However, these three upper riparian countries are the sources of the Nile water. While those lower riparian states such as Egypt with no contribution to water resources of the basin has fulfilled the energy to demand of their society.
According to the SDGs, as stated in agenda seven, to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
The world is making progress towards Goal 7, with encouraging signs that energy is becoming more sustainable and widely available. Access to electricity in poorer countries has begun to accelerate, energy efficiency continues to improve, and renewable energy is making impressive gains in the electricity sector.
Nevertheless, more focused attention is needed to improve access to clean and safe cooking fuels and technologies for 3 billion people, to expand the use of renewable energy beyond the electricity sector, and to increase electrification in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Energy Progress Report provides a global dashboard to register progress on energy access, energy efficiency and renewable energy. It assesses the progress made by each country on these three pillars and provides a snapshot of how far we are from achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals targets.
Lack of access to energy may hamper efforts to contain COVID-19 across many parts of the world. Energy services are key to preventing disease and fighting pandemics – from powering healthcare facilities and supplying clean water for essential hygiene, to enabling communications and IT services that connect people while maintaining social distancing.
789 million people – predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa – are living without access to electricity, and hundreds of millions more only have access to very limited or unreliable electricity. It is estimated that only 28 per cent of health facilities have access to reliable electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, yet energy is critically needed to keep people connected at home and to run life-saving equipment in hospitals.
If hospitals and local communities don’t have access to power, this could magnify the human catastrophe and significantly slow the global recovery.
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All explained why energy access matters during the coronavirus emergency and outlined three ways to respond to the COVID-19 emergency; prioritize energy solutions to power health clinics and first responders, keep vulnerable consumers connected, increase reliable, uninterrupted, and sufficient energy production in preparation for a more sustainable economic recovery.
In addition to this, the Agenda 2063 of the AU stated that blue/ocean economy for accelerated economic growth. This includes the development of marine resources and energy, port operations and marine transport and biodiversity, conservation and sustainable natural resource management.
The Golden Jubilee Summit of the Union directed the African Union to improve the sector in Africa from traditional to modern sources of energy and ensure access.
The main objective of the Energy Development Strategies and Initiatives in Africa is to increase energy access to the African people, improve livelihoods and ensure environmental sustainability. In this regard, the Energy Division of the African Union will continue to implement targeted interventions towards contributing to the achievement of objectives such as the facilitation and implementation of PIDA – PAP energy projects.
Operationalisation and Implementation of the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) adopted at the COP21 in Paris, December 2015, facilitation of Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Initiative Implementation adopted by the Conference of Energy Ministers of Africa (CEMA), in November 2012 and facilitation and advocacy for the implementation of the Africa Bioenergy Policy Framework and Guidelines adopted by the CEMA in November 2012 and Heads of State and Government in January 2013.
Furthermore, it also emphasized the elaboration of a Continental Harmonized Regulatory Framework for the Energy Sector, implementation of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership launched at the Africa-EU Summit in Lisbon, Portugal in 2007,
implementation of the Regional Geothermal Programme and Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility, implementation of the Hydropower 2020 Initiative to promote the development of Africa’s hydropower potential and facilitation and advocacy for the development of Grand Inga Hydropower project as one of AU Agenda 2063 flagship projects.
The Ethiopian Herald April 24/2021
