AFRICAN MINISTERS GATHER IN KENYA TO ADVANCE LOCAL POWER COMMERCE

To increase regional commerce in power, ministers responsible for electricity in Eastern African nations convened for three days in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, on Tuesday.

To promote regional collaboration in the energy industry, senior government officials from 13 African countries convened at the 18th Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) Council of Ministers meeting.

During his inaugural speech, Kenya's cabinet secretary for energy and petroleum, Davis Chirchir, stated that governments in the area are dedicated to establishing plans, policies, and budgets that will facilitate the future expansion of the national electricity grid's interconnection in eastern Africa.

According to Chirchir, Kenya has already benefited from regional integration through bilateral arrangements, including as engaging in energy exchange with Uganda and importing 200 MW of renewable energy from Ethiopia.

He continued, "These initiatives have guaranteed a dependable energy supply and decreased the risks of an electricity outage."

The EAPP's secretary-general, James Wahogo, reported that considerable strides had been made in the execution of cross-border transmission projects meant to improve regional connectivity and guarantee power commerce and energy solutions throughout Africa.

"Compared to the 504 GWh in 2005, countries in the EAPP are currently trading over 3,400 GWh annually, which represents a big achievement," Wahogo stated.

He said that there are plans to finish, commission, and put into service the energy transmission lines connecting Ethiopia to Djibouti, Egypt to Sudan, and Egypt to Libya.

The goal of regional trade, according to Uganda's state minister for energy Sidonius Okaasai Opolot, is to transfer electricity from nations with excess supply to those with shortages.