5. Welcome And Opening Remarks Of The Workshop

The workshop started on Sunday 11 August 2013. At the Official opening of the workshop, the following personalities delivered their opening speeches. These were:

. Hon Dr Bernadette Lahai, Chairperson of the PAP Committee on Transport, Industry, Energy, Communication, Science and Technology;

. Hon. Sisa Njikelana, Chairperson of the South African Parliament Portfolio Committee on Energy.

5.1. Hon Dr Lahai

In her opening and welcome remarks, Hon. Dr Bernadette Lahai emphasised that the purpose of the workshop is to establish a joint Energy Initiative between the PAP Committee on Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science and Technology and the South African Parliament Portfolio Committee on Energy.

She indicated that Energy is essential to almost all human activities and is very crucial to the social, economic and technological development for any economy. It can therefore be argued that without sustained and concerted efforts to provide modern energy to all segments of societies, development goals will not be reached.

The Chairperson emphasized the need of investing in energy infrastructure and services, that if not so the poor will continue to wallow in poverty and will find it difficult to increase their incomes, get new jobs, send their children to school, provide good health care services, have improved access to water and sanitation, communication and produce enough food to eat and to sell.

It is estimated that in order to achieve universal energy access by 2030, there is need to increase global investment by 3% in energy infrastructure or an annual investment of 48 billion of USA Dollars.

Finally, Hon. Dr Bernadette Lahai noted that, the establishment of the Energy initiative between the Pan- African Parliament Committee on Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science and Technology and the South African Parliament Portfolio Committee on Energy is yet another important milestone in this partnership building. Through this partnership, it is hope that the two Parliaments will help to develop and promote renewable energy resources for Africa in order to deliver energy services to the poorest and develop energy infrastructure for economic development.

5.2. Hon SJ Njikelana

Hon. Sisa Njikelana, for his part, thanked the opportunity availed to them as members of the South African Parliament to come and share some information on matters of energy with their counterparts of the Pan-African Parliament.

The workshop is the first step towards the establishment of a PAP-SA Parliament Energy Initiative [PAPSAEI]. Hon S Njikelana further pointed out that from time to time the aim is for the PAPSAEI to engage with the NEPAD energy unit on issues of mutual interest and concern on the following:

. Campaign for energy efficiency . Continental and regional power pooling programmes linked to regional energy trading . Integrated energy planning with emphasis, inter alia, on energy mix strategies . Strong focus on clean and renewable energy . Focus on rural, mini and micro-grid, small-scale energy systems . Empowerment of public representatives including Parliamentarians and Councillors . Harmonisation and rationalisation of energy policies, laws and programmes

According to Hon Njikelana, the motive behind the idea of the PAPSAEI are: contextualise the need for the MPs to support and oversee energy ministries in Africa on various energy programmes; the need to support NEPAD initiatives, especially industrialisation; the need for a specific focus on the support of the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative; which is informed by the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa and NEPAD African Action Plan; and precursor for a response strategy to the current second scramble for Africa.

According to Hon S Njikelana the need for the introductory workshop is based on the following: Enhance the role and contribution of African Parliaments to development of energy policy, legislation and programmes in Africa; involvement of African Parliaments in the global platform; Create a common understanding of energy issues in Africa; and explore possible joint programmes as well as partnerships into the future.

5. Overview of the energy sector and designing Energy policy - Mr J Simpson