Rome, Italy, 31 October 2018: The African Union Commission (AUC), the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and RES4Africa signed a Letter of Intent on 25 October, 2018 in Rome, Italy to strengthen the partnership on a Renewable Energy Capacity Building Programme.
The agreement, signed on the margins of the second Africa – Italia Conference, cements cooperation between the three institutions on the development and implementation of enabling frameworks for renewable energy integration and development integration, as well as the facilitation of Renewable Energy (RE) investments and related infrastructure; Promoting training and capacity building programmes with the objective of transmitting knowledge and capabilities in the renewable energy sector by a regional perspective amongst others.
In particular, the Parties agree to cooperate in implementing the “Renewable Energy Capability Building Programme: A Proposal for Africa” which includes the accomplishment of five training courses held on a regional scale.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy has delegated the Renewable Energy Solution for the Mediterranean and Africa (RES4Med and Africa) to implement the “Renewable Energy Capability Building Programme. It is expected to train middle managers and Engineers /Technicians coming from East, West, North, South and Central Africa regions from public and private stakeholders in Ministries, National Authorities, Utilities, Energy Companies, etc.
The African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, H.E. Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid expressed delight that today’s signing marks an important milestone for the AUC, Italy and RES4Africa.
“It will strengthen our ability to deliver on our respective mandates in a mutually enriching way,” AUC Commissioner Dr. Abou-Zeid remarked.
The Commissioner ended her remarks by stating that following this event, the technical teams will work out practical steps to immediately commence the joint activities stipulated in the agreement.
RES4Africa is a network of 30+ members from across the sustainable energy value chain including utilities, industries, agencies, technical service providers, research institutes and academia. RES4Africa promotes the deployment of large-scale and decentralized renewable energy solutions in Sub-Saharan African markets to meet local energy needs for growth.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner addressed the plenary session of the Second Italia – Africa Conference inaugurated by H.E Sergio MATTARELLA, President of the Republic of Italy where she highlighted the successful cooperation between the AUC and Italy on infrastructure and the development of energy projects in the continent.
“The Italian private sector participates in renewable energy, as well as oil and gas exploration efforts of the continent. This approach adopted by Italy will no doubt add momentum to already existing thriving cooperation at bilateral level by introducing an important dimension of continental and regional cooperation,” stated the Commissioner .
“We highly value the attention that the African Union has been paying to the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM)”, H.E. President of the Republic of Italy stressed in his inaugural speech
H.E. Dr Amani Abou-Zeid was received by H.E. Emanuela DEL RE, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy. Skills transfer and exchange of expertise in the fields of energy, ICTs and infrastructure as well as scaling private sector engagement in Africa were largely discussed.
For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Website: http://www.au.int
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