Earlier this month, a delegation of energy regulator CEOs from five African countries came together for five days in Tanzania for the sixth meeting of the Peer Review and Learning Network (PRLN) to jointly assess the governance, substance and impact of the regulator EWURA. The PRLN is facilitated by the Power Futures Lab at the University of Cape Town in partnership with GET.transform.
The meeting was hosted by the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority – EWURA in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and enabled inspiring exchanges with high-level representatives of the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) of Uganda, the Energy & Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) of Kenya, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) of Ghana, and the Electricity Control Board (ECB) of Namibia.
The regulator CEOs conducted a comprehensive peer review of Tanzania’s energy sector and engaged in discussions with key stakeholders including the Deputy Prime Minister who also serves as the Minister for Energy as well as representatives from major utilities like TANESCO, and several Small Power Producers (SPPs), Independent Power Producers (IPPs), Industry associations, civil society groups and the media. Upon completion, the PRLN team shared recommendations with the hosting authorities in Tanzania for further action.
Tanzania currently is in a fortunate position with the construction and commissioning of the 2,115 MW Julius Nyerere Hydro Power Plant, enhancing the country’s energy security. At the same time, the energy sector stands to benefit from the well-defined regulatory framework supported by a very experienced, knowledgeable and skilled Board. However, the country needs further policy changes and updates to be able to unlock the significant investment opportunities into renewable energy resources.
Going forward, the peer network is set to grow and may comprise Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Zambia, Eswatini, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe in the next PRLN phase starting in 2025.
