AU: Regional power programmes vital

23 September 2009

The infrastructure and energy commissioner for the African Union (AU) has said that power pooling could be a way for the whole continent to overcome energy problems.

In an interview with Reuters in Addis Ababa, Elham Ibrahim called attention to the success of the Southern African Power Pool.

Ms Ibrahim also pointed out the singular governance of the scheme between Togo and Benin, saying: "You only need one organisation to deal with electricity for more than one country."

"We are strongly encouraging strategies of interconnectivity that can help economies grow more quickly," she added.

Ethiopia and Sudan are currently working on a similar sort of regional programme, with emphasis on hydropower projects capable of also being connected to Kenya, Egypt and Uganda.

Uganda was recently noted in the BBC's Africa Business Report for the potential of their sugar production becoming a reliable source of energy.

John Tesserach, overseer of the project, said infrastructure limitations were the main obstacle in producing enough to contribute to the national grid.

Category: Energy