African Energy Commission (AFREC)

From TrustAfrica wiki - African Regional Organizations

AFREC
2 rue Chenoua, BP. 265
Hydra - 16035 Algiers, Algeria

Tel: +213 (0) 21 694868
Fax: +213 (0) 21 692083

Website: http://afrec.mem-algeria.org

Description

In 1980, the extraordinary economic summit of OAU Heads of state and government held in Lagos (Nigeria), adopted the Lagos Plan of Action (L.P.A) with short, medium and long term actions aimed at solving the severe energy problems facing the continent.

The Lagos Conference perceived an urgent necessity to establish an appropriate institutional framework and the creation of an African Energy Commission was specifically recommended with a mandate to ensure, coordinate and harmonize the protection, preservation, development and the national exploitation, marketing and integration of energy resources in Africa. The AFREC has five main functions:

• Elaborate policies, strategies and energy plans based on sub-regional, regional and continental development priorities and means for their implementation;
• Conception, elaboration and updating of continental data base in energy sector as well as promotion of rapid transfer and exchange of information between members states and regional economic communities. There is need to put in place an active information system for preserving, processing and spreading data on energy and related sectors;
• Identification, elaboration and launching big inter-African energy projects to promote sub-regional, regional and continental integration. Concomitantly, mobilization of financial resources to provide assistance to member states to develop and implement integrated energy projects;
• Elaboration of policies, plans and projects of inter African cooperation in the field of human resource development, particularly through staff training programs in the energy sector;
• Establishment of a network of technical assistance between member states and promotion of partnerships between African countries in the energy sector, development of commercial, transit and exchanges of energy products and services between member states. To promote the inter-African trade of energy products it is essential to encourage use of technical standards, procedures and practices in the energy sector.