September 23, 2024, Accra, Ghana: The African Energy Commission (AFREC) has conducted an Expert Group Meeting to develop training modules for the Energy Efficiency Questionnaire used by AFREC to collect energy efficiency data from African Union Member States. The main objective of the EGM is to develop a comprehensive framework for the training modules, ensuring they are both structured and effective, recommended relevant contents and guarantees that the material remains relevant and accessible to experts from African Member states.
The developed training modules will serve as guides for training providing by AFREC to African statisticians including practical exercises for hands-on trainingand case studies to enable trainees to effectively master the necessary input data for completing the Energy Efficiency questionnaire. Furthermore, the Expert Group Meeting (EGM) assessed the optimal duration of the training sessions to determine the appropriate number of hours needed for participants ,the selection criteria for trainers and trainees, a detailed training schedule to promote an organized and timely training process and explored various methods for providing follow-up support post-training, ensuring that participants receive ongoing assistance and reinforcement of the skills acquired.
On behalf of AFREC's Executive Director, Mr. Rashid Ali Abdallah, Mr. Nougbodohoue Samson Bel-Aube, Head of the Energy Information System and Statistics, highlighted the critical need for reliable energy data and the necessity of improving data collection from member states. In alignment with AFREC’s mandate, he affirmed that support for energy data collection related to the four energy efficiency questionnaires will continue, ensuring ongoing capacity building thus enabling AFREC to obtain accurate and reliable energy data for the development of the African Energy Balance.
On behalf of Ing. Oscar Amonoo Neizer, the Energy Commissioner for Ghana, Mr. Simpson Attieku, Manager of the Planning and Policy Unit at the Ghana Energy Commission, emphasized the fundamental role of data in shaping strategies, measuring progress, and making informed decisions. He highlighted the significance of developing the Energy Efficiency modules as a crucial step toward establishing a robust African Energy Information System (AEIS), which serves as an essential tool for policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders across the continent, facilitating access to the data necessary for crafting effective energy policies and strategies.
This event has been financially supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), a strategic partner of AFREC in enhancing the Energy data and statistics as well as in capacity building.
Notes to Editor
About the African Energy Information System
Since 2012, AFREC has put in place a platform named the African Energy Information System (AEIS) and a capacity building programme to support National Focal Points (NFPs) in the Member States, to coordinate energy data collection and validation at national level by using four questionnaires: Energy statistics (Energy Balance) and Energy efficiency for residential sector, Power Plants Capacity, and Energy Prices and Taxes. In 2020, AFREC conducted a comprehensive improvement of the AEIS and the new AEIS is now composed of the following elements: Profile of data collectors, Excel questionnaires (Data collection Tools), Data submission mechanism (online data collection), Data storage platform, Data dissemination and reporting system (publications and online data visualization tools) and Data managers and analysts (user interface for analysis dedicated to NFPs).
About the African Energy Commission
The African Energy Commission (AFREC) is a specialised energy agency of the African Union, mandated to implement African energy programmes by coordinating, harmonising, protect, conserve, develop, promote rational exploitation, commercialization, resource mobilisation and integration of energy resources for all AU Member states.
AFREC is also entrusted with the responsibility to design, create and set up the continental energy database, and facilitate rapid dissemination of information among AU member states, Regional Economic communities in Africa, investors amongst others.
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