Cairo, Egypt, 08 December 2019: A training of Trainers for African Energy Experts is on-going in Cairo. The training which has been organised to train energy statistics from all African Union Member states is targeting to qualify (20) energy experts who will become future trainers of other energy statistics focal points in their home countries.

Trainers are being trained with the aim to (1) train other National Focal Points (NFPs) to contribute positively to the quality of the African Energy Information System (AEIS); (2) improve the efficiency of the collection of energy data, to ensure sustainability and high quality, starting with improvements of ongoing data collection for energy statistics and energy efficiency (residential & industrial); (3) assist with the validation of the data collected from the NFPs to ensure a more robust system and of data that meets high standards; (4) enhance cross-border learning and experience sharing between African statisticians and energy experts to improve AEIS; (5) empower the African energy statisticians in driving and leading the capacity building for AEIS, and (6) to enhance the participatory nature of AEIS and increase the ownership of information and data by NFP.

In his keynote, Dr. Mohammed Moussa, Omran, Undersecretary for Research, Planning and Authorities from the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy in Egypt, who opened the training expressed his gratitude to AFREC for organizing the training workshop, commending the commission on the work they are doing, specifically on energy information and statistics on the continent. He emphasized that there is a lot to be done, citing that reliable energy statistics are the backbone of sound national energy policies, which helps governments to ensure energy security, reduce process volatility and plan investments. ‘It is also essential in guiding private investments related to energy, because countries adopt various models to manage energy data depending on the energy sector characteristic, economic structure, country size, government type and other factors’, he said.

Dr. Omran also mentioned that having access to the data is very important hence, credible data which are complete and timely are essential, in creating confidence. Therefore, strengthening human resources in countries is a strong investment which will increase performance of experts, capacity building programmes in line with the energy sector transformation. He further stated that, capacity building programmes and exchanging of experience among countries is a very important intervention for deepening countries historical relational and reaching partnerships that is consistent with the peoples common interest and aspiration.

The Executive Director of AFREC, Mr. Rashid Ali Abdallah emphasised on how the training and learning will improve, and contribute to capacity building across borders, leading countries to strengthen their approaches when working on various data and completing various questionnaires meant to track progress on the implementation of energy strategy. Mr. Rashid said, to strengthen energy sector in Member states, AFREC is in the process of implementing several programmes that include African energy efficiency programme, oil and gas programme, bioenergy programme and African energy sector transition programme.

Mr. Crispen Zana, EU-Africa Energy Partnership (AEEP) encouraged participants to take the workshop seriously, and that it drive change in the energy sector of their countries. He also stated the importance of having young people participating in the training, and advise participants to take responsibility to influence decision making on data, planning and implementation of energy programmes as they are the agents of change.

The training of trainers programme is the first of its kind, and it’s driven by Agenda 2063-the Africa We Want, specifically Aspiration 6: An Africa whose development is driven by people, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring children. It also aim to address the challenges of climate change and implementation of energy programmes, in line with SDG 7, which ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustained and modern energy for all.

For information regarding the workshop kindly contact:
Mr. Abdoulaye Oueddo| Senior Policy Officer| African Energy Commission |African Union Commission | Email:Oueddoa@africa-union.org| www.afrec-energy.org

For further media inquiries, please contact:
Ms. Ndahafa Nakwafila| Communication and Information Officer| African Energy Commission (AFREC) | African Union Commission| email: NakwafilaN@africa-union.org| Tel: +213 23 45 9198| www.afrec-energy.org
Mr. Gamal Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer| Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org

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