African energy ministers set to meet in Tanzania over power trade

Sep. 23, 2008 - Xinhua

African ministers responsible for energy from nine countries bordering the Nile will meet in Tanzania this week to review how to economically benefit from the waters that has been a source of conflict in the region.

A statement from the United-Nations-backed Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) said the ministers responsible for electricity will discuss enhanced cooperation towards regional power trade.

"The ministers responsible for electricity in the Nile Basin countries will meet on Thursday in Dar es Salaam to review the Regional Power Trade Project (RPTP), one of the thematic projects under the Shared Vision Program of the NBI," the statement said.

The meeting whose theme is "Enhancing Cooperation towards Regional Power Trade," will deliberate on progress made by RPTP since it was launched in 2003 by the ministers responsible for electricity affairs.

They will also receive and review the studies recommendations, and adopt a strategy of operationalizing these recommendations.

The statement said the ministers will also provide input to RPTP Phase II proposal as well as agree on its implementation and on future sustainability of the RPTP outputs and functions of Phase I and II in view of the different power development and power trade initiatives.