Water Journalists Africa
June 21, 2016
The President of Botswana Lt. General Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama, is calling for an end to energy and water crisis in the southern Africa region.
Khama, who is the chairperson of the Southern Development Community (SADC), was delivering a keynote address at SADC Workshop on the energy and water crisis in the region held on 20th June 2016 in Gaborone, Botswana.
He told the delegates to the one-day special workshop to come up with an action plan to address the crisis.
The workshop was held under the theme: “Accelerating energy delivery and access to water resources in the SADC region – A collective approach”.
The high level workshop was the second in a series of three workshops called by the SADC Chairperson. The first workshop was on Food Security and Poverty Eradication, on 16th May 2016 in Gaborone, Botswana, and the third workshop focusing on Illegal Trade in Wild Life will be held in July 2016.
The meeting facilitated exchange of ideas and forged practical and sustainable solutions towards the Energy and Waters crisis in the region with a view to map out a strategic direction and agree on a way forward.
Speaking during the same occasion, the SADC Executive Secretary Dr Stergomena L. Tax highlighted the vital role of the energy and water resources to the regional economic growth, and added that insufficient access has directly impacted on the quality of lives of people in the region.
Almost 160 delegates including Ministers and Senior Officials from the Ministries responsible for Energy and Water Sectors in the SADC Member States; representatives of national Energy and Water regulators and utilities; International Cooperating Partners, SADC Energy and Water Thematic Group members and implementing Partners; academic research and training institutions; development finance institutions, members of the diplomatic corps and independent power producers participated in the workshop.
The workshop is being followed by a meeting of ministers responsible for the energy and water sectors in the region today 21 June 2016.
