SAMSET Africities 2015 Summit OPEN SESSION: Sustainable Energy in Urban Africa - the role of local government

SAMSET (Supporting Sub-Saharan Municipalities with Sustainable Energy Transitions) invites you to attend an Africities open session on the 30th of November at Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg from 15:00 - 18:00.

Background

Energy is the life blood of urban economic activity and central to people’s welfare and a functioning urban system. The promotion of adequate and sustainable energy requires a specific focus if a prosperous future is to be realised. Across the world, the local level of government has an increasingly important role to play in shaping the energy supply and demand situation in urban areas. This is the case in Africa as well. The fast rate of urbanization and the lack of capacity in local governments across Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in small and medium-sized urban areas, is likely to contribute to increasingly inadequate energy provision, inefficient energy use, and escalating transport congestion and emissions, with associated economic and social problems. Yet the challenges are now better understood, and in some areas successful approaches are being deployed at the local government level. It is necessary to share lessons and move forward in a coordinated manner in recognising and building local government’s important role in delivering locally appropriate sustainable energy solutions. Without such action the African Union’s Vision 2063’s for a prosperous future will not be achieved. For more information, read the Background paper.

Panel discussions

With Mayor of Polokwane (South Africa) Cllr. Ms. Thembi Nkadimeng as chair, Megan Euston-Brown – Project Manager Sustainable Energy Africa as Facilitator, Dr. Simon Bawakyillenuo - University of Ghana, Dr. Daniel Irurah - School of Architecture and Planning, University of Witwatersrand, John Behangaana – Chief Executive, Kasese Municipality, Uganda and discussions will be guided by the following objectives:

1. To contextualize the challenges and opportunities regarding sustainable energy and African urbanisation.
2. To share knowledge developed by urban energy programmes such as SE4All, GIZ, SAMSET, ICLEI, UN-Habitat, and others, as well as plans for future activities.
3. To support the recognition and resourcing of the key role played by local government in sustainable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa, with associated recommendations/declaration.

The session will develop a set of recommendations for submission to the conference.

Field trips

Field trips are also being organized by SAMSET and SALGA-GIZ to sustainable energy installations around the Gauteng area on the 2nd of December. This will include landfill gas to energy, wastewater to energy, rooftop solar PV, solar water heating and spatial planning/public transport sites, with inputs from project implementers and municipal staff. More details on the fieldtrips, click here.

Registration is essential, click here to register with Africities. Please note: there will be Day Passes, for people that will only attend a day at a cost of R1000.

We look forward to welcoming you to this event. For more information on the SAMSET project, refer to samsetproject.site11.com.