Communicating Energy in Southern Africa



Contract partner: SARDC - Southern African Research and Documentation Centre Country: Subsahara-Afrika, regional/länderübergreifend Funding amount: € 600.000,00 Project start: 01.07.2017 End: 31.12.2019

Short Description:

Overall goal


The intervention goal is to contribute to the provision of access to energy knowledge and information in Southern Africa by providing knowledge and communication support to the Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and its subsidiary organizations and other key energy stakeholders.. Therefore, the objective is the maintenance of a functional platform for information-sharing and knowledge dissemination that contributes to informed policy decisions about the development of the energy sector in the SADC region.


Expected results


- SADC targets and solutions on energy and related regional integration issues are communicated at regular intervals. Indicator: 1 SADC energy tracking and monitoring tool produced in 2017

- Successes recorded in energy cooperation are documented to highlight effective practices; indicator: 1 SADC Energy Monitor updated in 2018, 2 SADC Energy Investment Year books updated in 2018 and 2019

- Progress made towards the implementation of the SADC energy commitments in line with RISDP, the SADC Protocol on Energy and other regional and global strategies and policies are documented and distributed, indicator: Monthly update & maintenance of the portal to ensure up-to-date information is available, 2 ETG Bulletins are produced twice a year (total 5) to communicate the outcomes of the bi-annual ETG meetings, 2 policy briefs produced per year on selected topics pertinent to the SADC energy sector. 1 of these to focus on gender mainstreaming

- The progress of the SADC ETG, activities, projects and issues for better coordination and advocacy are communicated, indicator: 6 editions of SADC Today are produced per year in the SADC official languages (English, Portuguese and French) so as to allow easy access by all SADC member states, and uploaded on SARDC and SADC websites for electronic access, at least two SANFs on energy and related issues are produced per month as quick information for electronic distribution to target groups including regional media for reproduction allowing wider outreach

 


Target group / Beneficiaries


The implementing agency is the Southern African Research and Development Centre (SARDC) having extensive knowledge and experience of the SADC regional development issues. Based on a Memorandum of Understanding SARDC provides knowledge and information support to the SADC.


The main target groups are about 305.090 persons in the SADC Region: the SADC Secretariat and its subsidiary organizations such as SAPP, RERA and SACREEE (500 staff members); more than 30 International Cooperating Partners of the SADC; 4.000 government officials and legislators, responsible for the energy sector; 500 private investors particular those entities involved in the energy sector; 60 universities and 100 other training institutions and 30 media houses in the SADC region with an estimated reach out of 300.000 persons. Additionally all outputs are posted on the SARDC website which receives an average of 3.000 visitors per month.

 


Activities


Key activities will entail: Developing a monitoring and tracking tool for the SADC energy sector; Profiling some of the success stories in the SADC energy sector, especially in renewables; Updating of the SADC Energy Monitor; Updating of SADC Energy Investment Yearbooks; Production of SADC Today newsletter and Southern African News Features; Information support to the SADC Energy Thematic Group (ETG), including production of SADC ETG Bulletin, maintenance of the SADC Energy Portal, and production of policy briefs; and, Distribution and targeted dissemination of regional energy information.

 


Context


Communicating Energy in Southern Africa is implemented in consultation with the SADC Secretariat Energy Division, SADC Subsidiary Organizations and the SADC Energy Thematic Group. The intervention entails production of knowledge products through research and writing done mostly by a pool of SARDC researcher/writers supplemented by contributors from the region. The proposed action will therefore continue the communication mechanisms and tools, namely SADC Today, SANF, SADC Energy Monitor, SADC Energy Investment Year Book, SADC ETG Bulletin, Policy briefs and SADC Energy Portal which are already in existence from previous phases of the project.


These knowledge tools are selected for targeted information sharing and dissemination. For example, SANF allows for quick information to the media and general public, SADC Today allows for deeper analysis of issues covered, ETG bulletin is a public record of the ETG meetings, the Portal allows for coordinated information sharing among ICPs while policy briefs allow for succinct policy information for busy policy makers, while the Energy Monitor and Investment Yearbook provide deeper tracking of policy implementation and trends.


Two new initiatives will be added to strengthen access to reliable data on progress toward energy commitments in the region through a SADC Energy Monitoring Tool requested by SADC; and to present effective practices through success stories from throughout the region. These initiatives will also facilitate peer learning and interaction in implementation of energy policies and programmes. This builds on the momentum already generated by existing mechanisms and tools.

 

project number 2753-00/2017
source of funding OEZA
sector Energiegewinnung, -Verteilung und -Effizienz, allgemein
tied 0
modality Project-type interventions
marker Gender: 1
  • Policy marker: are used to identify, assess and facilitate the monitoring of activities in support of policy objectives concerning gender equality, aid to environment, participatory development/good governance, trade development and reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health. Activities targeting the objectives of the Rio Conventions include the identification of biodiversity, climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, and desertification.
    • 1= policy is a significant objective of the activity
    • 2= policy is the principal objective of the activity
  • Donor/ source of funding: The ADA is not only implementing projects and programmes of the Austrian Development Cooperation , but also projects funded from other sources and donors such as
    • AKF - Foreign Disaster Fund of the Austrian federal government
    • BMLFUW - Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water
    • EU - Funds of the European Commission
    • Others - various other donors are listed in ADA’s annual business report.
  • Type of Aid – Aid modalities: classifies transfers from the donor to the first recipient of funds such as budget support, core contributions and pooled programmes and funds to CSOs and multilateral organisations, project-type interventions, experts and other technical assistance, scholarships and student costs in donor countries, debt relief, administrative costs and other in-donor expenditures.
  • Purpose/ sector code: classifies the specific area of the recipient’s economic or social structure, funded by a bilateral contribution.
  • Tied/Untied: Untied aid is defined as loans and grants whose proceeds are fully and freely available to finance procurement from all OECD countries and substantially all developing countries. Transactions are considered tied unless the donor has, at the time of the aid offer, clearly specified a range of countries eligible for procurement which meets the tests for “untied” aid.