19 Feb 2025

Government will collaborate with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) to jointly host the inaugural SADC Sustainable Energy Week from February 24 to 28 in Gaborone.

The landmark event to be officially opened by President Advocate Duma Boko, themed: Accelerating Sustainable Energy Solutions for an Energy Secure SADC Region, aims to catalyse the adoption of sustainable energy practices across the SADC region.

Addressing the media yestetday, Minister of Mineral and Energy, Ms Bogolo Kenewendo stated that the SADC Sustainable Energy Week was a crucial platform for fostering collaboration and innovation in the energy sector.

“By bringing together key stakeholders, including high-level international, regional, and national officials, the conference seeks to address the pressing energy challenges faced by the SADC region,” said Minister Kenewendo.

 She said participants would throughout the five-day conference, engage in a diverse range of activities, including High-Level Plenary sessions, detailed presentations, break-out sessions, and site visits.

“These sessions are designed to facilitate knowledge sharing, promote best practices, and encourage the development of sustainable energy solutions that can ensure energy security and foster economic growth in the region,” she said.

She indicated that SADC Sustainable Energy Week was important for Botswana as it aligned with the national energy goals and the broader objectives of SADC region towards the energy sector.

 “Not only for Botswana, but the 2025 SADC Sustainable Energy Week is also an opportunity for all SADC member states to showcase the progress on renewable energy and energy efficiency, share best practices and foster partnerships that will drive the SADC region’s transition to sustainable energy,” she said.

Ms Kenewendo said the event would also aim to create a platform that would bring together relevant stakeholders in the energy sector to facilitate growth and development of the sustainable energy sector in the region.

She said the focus area would include policy formulations, creation of enabling environment, financing, grid integration and renewable energy technologies among others.

Ms Kenewendo thus remained hopeful for the event to yield several critical outcomes, including enhanced regional cooperation and strengthen collaborations among SADC member states to achieve a unified approach to sustainable energy.

“We are hopeful for the event to map a way for the creation of policies and regulatory frameworks that support renewable energy and energy efficiency,” said Minister Kenewendo.

 Additionally she said she was optimistic that the event would address issues of investment and financing in an effort to attract investment and innovative financing solutions to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy technologies.

She therefore, indicated that the event was testament to the collaborative efforts of SADC Secretariat and the Ministry of Minerals and Energy noting that Botswana acted as a catalyst for change and a beacon of hope for a sustainable energy future. ENDS