Dar es Salaam, 23rd December 2016:  The Training of Trainers Workshop on Small Hydropower Development, Operation and Maintenance organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the East African Community (EAC) concluded on 22nd December 2016 at the University of Dar es Salaam, College of Engineering, and Technology in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  
The workshop commissioned to the University of Dar es Salaam, College of Engineering, and Technology to carry out a Training of Trainers on Small Hydropower Development, Operation and Maintenance from 30th November, 2016 to 21st December, 2016, covered training of lecturers from tertiary Institutions from EAC Partner States, including curriculum development and development of online platform to facilitate sharing of information as well as experience among small hydropower development stakeholders in East Africa.  
The overall objective of the workshop was to enhance technical capacity for Small Hydropower Development in East African in order to increase access to electricity in the region and ensure there is a pool of experts able to carry out operation as well as maintenance of small hydropower project.  
Addressing the participants of the workshop during the official closing session on behalf of the Ambassador, the Head of Cooperation from the Italian Embassy, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Mr. Fabio Gigantino said, “People of East Africa need affordable and reliable energy, produced in a sustainable manner”    
Mr. Fabio Gigantino, who represented the Italian Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania disclosed to the participants that among all renewable sources, small hydropower can be duly held as one of the most promising for sustainable water and energy development.  
He noted that small hydropower development can provide needed energy services in
a sustainable manner in the East African Countries and especially in the rural communities. The East African Community may become a pacesetter in Africa also in this filed, added the Mr. Fabio Gigantino  
“Let me assure you that the Italian government will make all the necessary efforts to support Small Hydropower Development in East African”  
In his part the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sector, Hon Christophe Bazivamo said development of small hydropower projects is important in the region because it is necessary for solving the problem of electricity access and also because it brings with number of benefits and opportunities for the East African Community.  
He disclosed to the participants that EAC has vast potential for small hydropower according to the scoping study carried out by the EAC with the support from EU Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility (EUEI PDF), the potential for small hydropower in the EAC region is estimated at 4,097MW scattered in over 750 sites  
The EAC official informed the participants that the programme for small hydropower development is one among others that the EAC is undertaking. In the electricity sector, the region is implementing a Power Master Plan, which outlines priority generation and transmission projects for meeting the region electricity demand over the next twenty-five years, added Deputy Secretary General.  
“ I am pleased to inform you that a number of major generation and transmission projects are under implementation with the region expected to have its power system interconnected by 2020 to facilitate regional power trade’’  
Speaking at the same occasion, Acting Head of Energy Division, at the African Union Commission (AUC), Mr. Rashid Abdallah representing the Director of Infrastructure and Energy, assured the participants that the African Union Commission is supporting the African Member States and the Regional Economic Communities to strengthen and accelerate effective governance and regulatory reforms promoting management practices that will increase competition and attract private investments in the development of the energy sector.  
On his part, Deputy Vice Chancellor - Research, of the University of Dar es Salaam, Prof.Cuthbert Kimambo said despite the fact that the region is endowed with various energy resources most of which have not been well developed. He called for the region to take advantage of the various energy resources available to enhance access to modern energy services through renewable and sustainable solution  
The Training of Trainers Workshop on Small Hydropower Development funded by Italian government and executed by the AUC in partnership with EAC saw 12
participants from EAC Partner States who participated in the workshop being awarded certificate for completing the programme.   The Small Hydropower Development Training will include remote rural communities contribute to the achievement of the objectives of Hydropower 2020 strategy of the Department of Infrastructure and Energy as one of the drivers of the AU Agenda 2063 of which the first ten year plan has taken energy to be one of the major enabling aspects of the first Aspiration of a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development.
For more information please contact:  Mr. Rashid Ali Abdallah,
Ag. Head of Division, Energy; Department of Infrastructure and Energy, African Union Commission; E-mail: Abdallahr@africa-union.org
For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africanunion.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia