THE Sectoral Council on Energy, Petroleum and Mining held on 14th February, 2025, in Arusha, Tanzania agreed to establish the Centre of Excellence for the East African Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EACREEE) as an Institution of the East African Community.

The decision to transform EACREEE into an EAC Institution came during the 16th Meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers on Energy reviewed the status of the Centre of Excellence and directed the EACREEE Secretariat to coordinate with the EAC Secretariat, to develop a Concept Paper highlighting the status of EACREEE establishment, progress, bottlenecks and opportunities for the Partner States and the region.

The overarching mandate of EACREEE is to galvanise Partner States and provide a mechanism through which the private sector and development partners can play a key role in supporting Partner States to close their energy-access deficits, meet increasing energy demands and contribute to climate action.

It is anticipated that the institutionalisation of EACREEE will have limited or no resource implications on the EAC given that the Centre has already demonstrated its sustainability by mobilising resources and supporting its operations since its establishment without any direct cash contributions from the Partner States.

The full institutionalisation of EACREEE is further expected to drive significant progress in renewable energy adoption and energy efficiency promotion. This will not only contribute to national and regional development but will also support global efforts to combat climate change and promote sustainable energy for all.

EACREEE’s mandate of promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency for socioeconomic development, climate action and environmental stewardship is derived from and aligned with the EAC Treaty, EAC Vision 2050, 6th EAC Development Strategy (2021/22 – 2025/26), EAC Energy Security Policy Framework, 2018 and African Union Agenda, 2063.

Other items considered during the Sectoral Council were the progress of the implementation of Sectoral Council Decisions and outstanding issues from earlier Council Meetings, Draft Regional EAC Energy Efficiency Policy, Internal Audit and Conference reports for the 10th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition 2023 (EAPCE’23).

Also on the agenda were the review of the 10th East African Petroleum Conference 2023, ongoing preparations for the 11th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition 2025 (EAPCE’25) as well as preparations for the 12th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition 2027 (EAPCE’27).

On the preparations for the 11th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition 2025 (EAPCE’25) the Sectoral Council took note of the Conference & Exhibition 2025 to be held from 5th – 7th March, 2025 in Dar es Salaam.

The Sectoral Council was briefed on the ongoing registration exercise and informed that 50% of the expected 1,000 delegates had already registered from various sectors within the region and beyond. The Sectoral Council urged all the Partner States to register delegates by February 28th, 2025

On the Power Supply Situation and Status of Implementation of the East African Power System Master Plan (EAPMP the Sectoral Council observed that the level of connectivity and access to power as well as the consumption per capita in the region is still relatively low. The Sectoral Council urged Partner States to put more effort in investing in generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure and come up with demand stimulation strategies to promote productive use of electricity.

On the Development of the Regional EAC Energy Efficiency Policy, the Sectoral Council took note of the progress made in Country Consultations conducted in all Partner States. However, the United Republic of Tanzania (URT) felt that there was need for them to undertake further country consultations and requested for additional time up to end June 2025. The Sectoral Council directed the Secretariat to convene a regional validation meeting by July 2025 to validate the new version of the policy that incorporates URT’s comments.

Dr. Anthony Kafumbe, the Counsel to the Community (CTC reiterated the need for a collective effort to ensure that over 130 million citizens of the Community have access to modern and sustainable energy solutions.

“Reliable and affordable energy is an imperative for the transformation and development outlined in our EAC Vision 2050,” said Dr. Kafumbe.

Dr. Kafumbe emphasised the importance of forging pathways to capitalise on the diverse energy resources across the region through harnessing renewable energy, advancing technological innovation and fostering regional partnerships.