By: Ismael Kasooha
Dar es Salaam
African leaders have committed to delivering affordable electricity to 300 million people across the continent within five years.
The pledge, known as the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration, was announced during the Africa Energy Summit at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Center in Eastern Tanzania on Tuesday.
Uganda’s Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja (2nd row) at the Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam
The Summit attended by 25 African Presidents and 1,000 delegates, focused on “Mission 300,” highlighting the urgent need to address Africa’s energy deficit. Currently, 71 million people lack access to electricity, posing significant barriers to economic growth.
At the Summit, President Yoweri Museveni was represented by the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja who led the Ugandan delegation.
President Museveni noted that African leaders should prioritize energy and should not be left to the private sector because it is the backbone of the economy.
“In Uganda there is a Runyankore word known as ‘Omushokoro’ meaning bone Marrow in English and ‘Mfupa Uboho’ in Swahili. When you get a disease of the bone marrow known as Leukemia, chances of survival are limited. Therefore, the bone marrow of an economy is the cost of electricity, Railway and water transport, the cost of labour and money in addition to peace and security,” Museveni noted.
The President said that energy is central to the socio-economic transformation of any society and therefore Africa being the least developed continent on the globe needs to take deliberate steps to ensure reliable, affordable and secure energy access.
A section of African Heads of State attending the Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam
He said that when the unit cost of electricity, transport, labour and money is low, the cost of production automatically lowers hence the increase in the profit margin.
“It is subversive for leaders to neglect investment in key sectors of energy, railway and water transport. No investor can be attracted to any economy to make losses,” he said.
The President said that the cure to Africa’s under-development is value addition to the raw materials for industrialization. He emphasized that there is a need for increased access to affordable power to support industries.
Museveni said that Uganda has been on a journey of lowering the cost of electricity for industrial use to US $ 5 cents per kilowatt to facilitate industrialization.
He said “Uganda’s energy policy is to increase access and consumption of clean energy through Increased access and utilization of electricity, increased generation capacity of electricity from the current 2,051 megawatts to 52,000 megawatts by the year 2040. Increased adoption and use of clean energy and promoting utilization of energy efficient practices and technologies.”
A section of African Presidents and Heads of State displaying the signed Dar es Salaam Energy declaration on Tuesday
The President said that for socio-economic transformation, development partners must prioritize providing concessional financing or grants in the critical sectors to lower the cost of production.
“For socio-economic transformation, development partners should prioritize providing concessional financing or even grants in these critical sectors to lower the cost of production if Africa to be competitive on the global market,” he said.
Museveni added that financing remains one of the greatest challenges that undermine efforts to developing countries to fully implement their development agenda.
Museveni assured the African leaders of Uganda’s commitment in its National Development Plan IV of ensuring access to electricity to accelerate development.
However, he said that “in order to make sure that electricity is cheap to accelerate development, the private sector who are looking for exorbitant profits should not be allowed in the development and management of the Railway and electricity. These should be done by governments.”
The President of Tanzania Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan said that the African Heads of State Energy Summit is about supporting households to transform through access to electricity which is affordable.
The President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and Ajay Banga, the President of World Bank Group committed to supporting African countries in accessing energy with 48M dollars.
The initiative is supported by $40 billion from the African Development Bank and the World Bank. African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina stressed that achieving universal energy access was vital to Africa’s economic transformation.
The Dar es Salaam Declaration outlines strategies to lower electricity costs, reduce dependence on firewood, and boost clean energy production, offering hope for a brighter and more sustainable future for millions across the continent.
The Summit was attended by 25 African Presidents and 1,000 delegates and focused on ‘Mission 300’, highlighting the urgent need to address Africa’s energy deficit. Currently, 71 million people lack access to electricity, posing significant barriers to economic growth.
The Prime Minister led the Ugandan Delegation that included the Minister of State for Energy Okasai Opolot, Uganda’s High Commissioner to the People’s Republic of Tanzania Col. (Rtd) Fred Mwesigye, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Irene Batebe among others.
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