Cotonou, Benin 27-30 May 2024, AFREC conducts a regional training session for the National Focal Points from French Speaking Countries on the newly developed tools of the African Energy Information System (AEIS).
This training builds on the momentum of the previous training for English Speaking countries, aiming to reinforce the capacity and expertise of AFREC’s Focal Points on the new tools for collecting, processing and dissemination of Energy Balance and indicators. The training programme offers comprehensive modules developed by experts from our African member states in collaboration with AFREC staff. These modules are specifically tailored to the African context to allow AFREC’s NFPs to better respond to challenges related to energy data collection and thus better complete AFREC’s questionnaires with reliable and accurate energy data. The NFPs will therefore take part in a series of interactive sessions and practical exercises, covering key topics such as electricity, biomass, coal and oil and gas data collection.
During the opening ceremony, Mr. Nougbodohoue Samson Bel-Aube, Head of Energy Information System and Statistics speaking on behalf of AFREC's Executive Director, Mr. Rashid Ali Abdallah, highlighted that the training aimed to address challenges faced by focal points in completing AFREC questionnaires. He said, “The questionnaires are essential for updating the African Energy Information System, a vital resource for energy statistics in Africa. It is of utmost importance for member states to produce quality energy statistics for effective policy planning and implementation. AFREC has developed training modules for the Energy Balance Questionnaire and plans to extend training to cover other questionnaires, such as the Energy Efficiency Questionnaire. The newly developed training modules will now be used in all future capacity-building sessions, providing a consistent, standardized approach to energy data collection.”
Mr. Emmanuel Lawin, Chief of Staff of the Minister of Energy, Water and Mines of Benin, representing the Minister of Energy, Water and Mines of Benin, expressed gratitude to AFREC for choosing Benin as the destination for the training session using modules that have been recently developed by AFREC in collaboration with African experts. He highlighted the importance of accurate energy statistics for decision-making. Benin has several initiatives in place like the National Energy Information System (SINEB) and the Energy Planning Support Project (PAPE) aimed at improving energy data collection and analysis. He further expressed Benin’s support for AFREC effort to enhance energy statistics reporting in African Member States, and looks forward to continued technical support from the African Energy Commission.
The training underlines AFREC's commitment to encouraging collaboration between African countries in the energy statistics sector and also to equip them with the skills to improve their national energy information system, thereby contributing to informed policy-making and strategic planning.
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 statistic 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.
For more information, please contact:
African Energy Commission (AFREC) | African Union| email: afrec@africaunion.org| Website: www.au-afrec.org | Algiers |Algeria Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter
Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org | Web: www.au.int & http://www.peaceau.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram YouTube