THE 31ST STEERING COMMITTEE AND 19TH COUNCIL OF MINISTERS EASTERN AFRICA POWER POOL CONFERENCE ENDS IN KAMPALA
The two-day Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) 31st Steering Committee and 19th Council of Ministers conference hosted at Serena Hotel Kampala has ended. Joshua Karamagi, CFA – UETCL, CEO and Chairperson of the EAPP Steering Committee chaired the Steering Committee meeting attended by CEOs of power trade companies of member countries.
During the two-day session, representatives from member states discussed market rules, intergovernmental agreements, and the operationalisation of regional electricity markets.
In his opening remarks the State Minister for Energy – Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development Hon. Okaasai Sidronius Opolot stated that “the creation of EAPP was an important response towards coordinating our individual countries’ efforts in seeking solutions to this rapidly growing need for energy services in the region.’
The Secretary General of the EAPP Eng. Eng. James K Wahogo in his remarks stated that ‘’EAPP region has achieved certain milestones over the years towards its objective of enhancing power system interconnectivity, cross border electricity trade and institutional capacity.’
Joshua Karamgi, CFA, stated, ’Several interconnection projects were under construction in our region in the past years, of which some are approaching completion, some are in the commissioning stage, and some already commissioned’
During the meeting of the 19th Council of Ministers (COM) in Kampala, the following resolutions were made.
- The implementation plan for the Operationalization of the Market and Trading Unit.
- An amendment was proposed to the intergovernmental MOU (IGMOU) with final confirmation of the endorsements to be revisited and formally addressed at the next CoM meeting, following the completion of all required internal consultations by the member states.
- The CoM formally approved the proposed by-laws and rules of procedure, recognizing them as essential for the structured and transparent governance of the EAPP among others.
It was resolved that the next meeting will be held in February 2025 at the closing ceremony presided over by the chairperson Council of Minister and Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu.
The EAPP is a regional institution established in 2005 to coordinate cross-border power trade and grid interconnection among nations of the Eastern Africa region. Member countries are Burundi, Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Libya. South Sudan and Somalia as they promote equitable sharing of energy.