Mbeki: Energy, food security priorities for Africa

The former president of South Africa, Mr Thabo Mbeki, believes that finding long-term solutions for Africa’s energy needs should go hand in hand with sustaining food security. 

Mr Mbeki was answering a question during the African Presidential Roundtable at the Maritim Hotel in Balaclava yesterday. 

The two-day roundtable was organised by the African Presidential Archives and Research Centre (APARC) and addressed the energy needs for Africa in the 21st century. 

Several former heads of state participated including two former presidents of Mauritius, Mr Cassam Uteem and Mr Karl Offman. A group of experts and scholars as well as students from the Boston University participated in the meeting. 

Discussions were held on the particular energy needs for African nations, from small island states to large countries, with participants agreeing that a multifaceted and staged approach must be used in order to meet Africa’s present and future energy needs. 

Mr Charles Stith, director of APARC, said that 10 countries – Nigeria, Uganda, Niger, Senegal, Kenya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Ghana and Egypt – have expressed interest in building nuclear power plants. 

He added that apart from nuclear energy, other forms of energy were discussed such as biomass, hydropower, geothermal, wind, solar, coal, oil and gas. The major recommendations made by the participants of the roundtable were: 

• A follow-up in collaboration with the Africa Forum to convene a conference on energy self-sufficiency in Africa that will bring together key stakeholders including the African Union and the regional economic communities and other experts from the public and private sectors. 

• The setting up of an Africa Energy Infrastructure Advisory Group in collaboration with the Africa Forum. 

• Preparation of terms of reference for the Africa Energy Advisory Group which should cover funding issues relative to energy sufficiency in Africa, capacity development, joint sub-regional projects and how to best use the expertise in the meeting to operationalise the outcomes and recommendations relating to low-cost and accessible energy.

By Nilen Kattany