Southern African Development Community (SADC) ministers responsible for energy and water have called for the expedited signing of the amended Protocol on Energy. Namibia, Mauritius, South Africa, and Zimbabwe are the members yet to sign and have been urged to complete internal consultations and sign the amendment by August 2025.
The SADC Energy and Water minsters held their joint meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, from 30 June to 4 July 2025.
The ministers urged SADC Member States fast-track the implementation of their energy generation projects to meet growing demand and boost economic activities.
The region added 2 885 megawatts (MW) of new generation capacity during 2024-2025, raising the total to over 85 000 MW. However, a shortfall of 4 210 MW persists among nine interconnected mainland Member States, largely due to El Niño-induced droughts, aging infrastructure, and limited transmission capacity. Encouragingly, projects scheduled for 2025-2027 are expected to deliver over 28 000 MW of additional capacity.
The ministers pledged support for transmission interconnectors, urging the countries involved in the Inga III Transmission Line Project to sign the Inter-Governmental MoU by August 2025, with the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and the Secretariat tasked to mobilise resources for priority projects.
Addressing the meeting, SADC Executive Secretary, Elias Magosi, outlined the region’s challenges that continue to hinder progress in both the energy and water sectors. He reported that eight Member States have already signed the amended Protocol on Energy, with the remaining states urged to accelerate ratification processes to ensure full regional alignment.
Mogotsi said the SADC Secretariat will work with SAPP and the World Bank to roll out the Regional Energy Transmission, Trade, and Decarbonisation (RETRADE), expanding the regional electricity market.
The SADC Ministers called for broader ratification of the SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) in order to fully operationalise the regional body.
They also encouraged exploration of an Energy Attribute Certificate system to support the Just Energy Transition (JET). Ministers endorsed the development of a regional JET Framework and called for the prioritisation of clean cooking initiatives, commending Tanzania for its national leadership in this area.
Additionally, the Ministers responsible for Energy and Water officiated the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the SAPP. Established by the SADC Summit in 1995, SAPP is the oldest regional energy organisation within the SADC framework and remains one of the most successful power pools in Africa in terms of power trading volumes.
