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ENERGY SECTOR
Lake Kivu Gas for Sustainable Clean Power
New Technology to Power-up Central Africa
Lake Kivu lies between Rwanda and the DRC and is a unique store of several billion tons of greenhouse gases, measured as carbon dioxide equivalent, dissolved and accumulating continuously in its depths. Methane and carbon dioxide are continuously generated and accumulated, creating both risk and opportunity in the sustainable production of renewable energy.
Rwanda continuously faces power shortages and is known for deforestation, conflict and poor infrastructure. Therefore, a breakthrough technology has potential to unlock massive energy reserves in this landlocked region. New technology for extraction of methane gas from Lake Kivu provides an opportunity to generate all the Great Lakes region's power needs. Power production is possible at a quarter the cost of alternative power in the region.
Beneficial use of the resource creates an opportunity for limiting the escape of millions of tons of greenhouse gases to atmosphere annually. This is while producing up to 300MW of power. Pipeline gas can be provided more cheaply than firewood and charcoal to towns and villages. Potential disaster can be averted at the same time as providing cheaper energy. The technology would be able to prevent a catastrophic gas release (turnover) that occurs every one thousand years to two thousand years. A release last happened 900 years ago.
Philip Morkel has been working on the project since December 2001 has developed the new gas production technology that economically and profitably extracts methane from the lake to produce cheap power. First commercial production is planned for late 2007.
Alternative Energy Options
Natural gas from Lake Kivu is the only viable alternative source of energy source to the forest products in the region. At the current, rate of deforestation all remaining forest reserves would have been destroyed within the decade. Forests will cease to sustain the population. This situation could force rapid depopulation of the region, dispersing millions of the region's poorest as refugees into already crowded neighbouring countries.
With this improved production technology, gas can be delivered to industries and households cheaply enough to economically replace firewood and charcoal. Three standard size gas plants would provide more than sufficient gas to fuel 850 000 households out of a country with over 1 750 000 households, or at least 50% of the population of Rwanda.
Outline of the Project
Each gas production plant consists of a floating platform supporting multiple gas production modules suspended in deep water on Lake Kivu. The plant is designed to process water from over 300m deep in the lake, to extract natural gas annually.
Pilot plant testing was carried out between January and May 2004 on the lake. The testing showed considerable improvement over prior technologies due to the unique plant design and the breakthrough excitation technique. Test results show that 200% more gas can be extracted with the production module at up to three times the depth previously considered possible. The plant is energy efficient and able to continuously produce 90% pure methane indefinitely with a mechanically simple and long-term sustainable process.
The initial distribution system for domestic gas will be installed as a pilot project to demonstrate the efficacy of domestic gas. In the longer term, it is hoped that this pilot project will be replicated through hundreds of towns and villages as more gas becomes available from more production plants.
The natural gas produced by the first-installed production plant can produce at least 60% of Rwanda's current peak power needs.
Structuring the funding side has also proven to be a challenge. The total project will be approx USD17 Million. Currently, $6 million for funding has been allocated by local Rwandese and Kenyan investors. The total project will be approx USD17 Million but the Rwandese government is not in a financial position to assist in funding the project.
However, there is still a further need to target more companies from a funding point of view i.e. the commercial side still needs to be targeted.
WATER SECTOR
Africa's water problems are acute and its capacity to cope limited. High interdependency makes regional collaboration and joint actions necessary and is a key focus for NEPAD. There are several factors that influence and add to the water problems faced in Africa and these include:
- A prevalence of water scarcity throughout the region;
- High hydrological variability, which results in the cycles of drought and floods;
- The occurrence of watershed degradation due to extensive rain-fed agriculture;
- Weak and fragmented institutions; and
- The fact that water storage and flood control infrastructure is largely underdeveloped.
Water and sanitation, which are both basic needs, are essential to placing African countries, on a path of sustainable growth and development, ultimately resulting in Africa's renewal.
The core focus of the sector is on water and sanitation in terms of service delivery and access, with the focus for the business aspect being driving sector growth and addressing social issues. In order to meet these objectives the Water and Sanitation Working Group has established two focused task teams:
- Business Development - to look at relevant issues such as business impediments, risk issues and market development; and
- Social development / Poverty Alleviation - focus on poverty relief, access to water and sanitation, service to the poor.
In line with its approach to meet the general objectives of the NEPAD programme, the working group has undertaken to:
- Facilitate and promote development through regional integration, collaboration and
- the sharing of capacity and expertise;
- Ensure that the projects undertaken are owned by different stakeholders;
- Promote regional interests, through co-operation, influence and support; and
- Act as a catalyst to support the drive that Africa takes accountability for her own development.
Currently, there are 13 organizations involved in the group; these include Rand Water - South Africa, Umgeni Water, CSIR, Bloem Water, Water Institute of South Africa (WISA), BKS, Africon, Stewart Scott, Water Research Commission (WRC), Goba Mahloali, Keeve Steyn (GMKS), AgriSA, Arcus-Gibb and Individual consultants.
The objectives of the working group, over and above those listed above, are
- To provide a central contact point for those seeking information on the sector,
- To enhance the level of information sharing and positive collaboration; and
- To highlight the sector experience and achievements
To enable the group to meet and drive activities to meet the above outlined objectives, it aimed to undertake the following internal projects in 2005:
- The establishment of a "One stop shop - Clearing House" to provide necessary information to members on projects, tenders, opportunities for collaboration, linkages with internal and international organizations, project funding and cross-sectoral opportunities. This will also be used as a central communications point to respond to natural disasters.
- Stakeholders involved with the working group will sign a collaboration charter to further cement their commitment.
An opportunity exists for organizations to become involved in this area by contributing towards the setting up costs for the working group.
Projects
There are currently two projects being undertaken within the framework of the Water and Sanitation sector of NEPAD.
Trans-boundary water resources
This project stream is being financed by African Development Bank and is currently being carried out with the first activity being the implementation of the Nile River Basin Water Resource Management, which forms part of STAP. Looking ahead the next project under preparation, which also forms part of STAP, is the SADC Shared Water Course Support.
- Further studies into trans-boundary water resources are to be conducted on the:
- Niger and Senegal River Basins in West Africa;
- Congo and Lake Chad River Basins in Central Africa;
- Okavango and Zambezi River Basins in Southern Africa;
- Nile Basin in East Africa;
- Shared Aquifers and desertification in North Africa; and
- National and Regional water security.
- Co-operation in trans-boundary water resources development and management is primarily a political process. Scope for the NBF Water and Sanitation Working Group exists in that it can make inputs and influence strategy, strengthen or initiate coordinated joint management and the development of shared basins. It can also provide capacity and expertise for projects, operations and maintenance where appropriate.
- Integrated Water Resource Management (WRM) This project is being financed by the European Union Water Initiative and is currently in its infancy stage. The objective of the project is to address the following challenges
Building strategic infrastructure for water resources development
- Enabling environment for Sustainable Management of Trans-boundary Water Basis
- Coping with Extremes of Climate and Rainfall;
- Providing Safe and Adequate Water and sanitation Services;
- Ensuring Adequate Water for Food Security; and
- Building the capacity base.
To date five basins have been selected by the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) namely:
- Niger and Volta in West Africa;
- Lake Chad in Central Africa;
- Lake Victoria/ Kagera in East Africa; and
- Orange/Senqu in Southern Africa
Studies on these basins have been carried out and are currently awaiting validation by AMCOW. Once the validation has been done there will be a launch of the action plans, design IWRM national plans.
ICT SECTOR
NEPAD e-Schools
Global Partnership for African Development
The NEPAD e-Africa Commission has identified the NEPAD e-Schools Demonstration Project (Demo) as a critical initial step in the continental implementation of the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative. The Demo is intended to provide a continental learning mechanism, based on real-life experiences of implementing ICTs in schools across the African continent that will serve to inform the rollout of the broader NEPAD e-Schools Initiative. To this end, the Demo is establishing, monitoring and evaluating, six NEPAD e-Schools each, in up to twenty African countries. The NEPAD e-Africa Commission has put together an innovative public private partnership to ensure the most effective and expedient implementation of the Demo.
The NEPAD e-Schools Implementation Structure is an agreed framework to achieve the NEPAD e-schools initiative's objectives. The implementation structure is geared towards national execution with continental coordination through the NEPAD e-Africa Commission and provides for a division of functions between national entities and the Commission.
Country Governments
While coordination of the Demo takes place at a continental level, implementation is carried out at a national level. Each participating country has formally appointed a Country Liaison Person, who is responsible for facilitating all aspects of implementation at the selected schools. An interdepartmental National Implementation Team and work assist the CLPs closely with the principals of the participating schools.
Private Sector
This sector is led by HP, Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco and AMD and each are responsible for providing, deploying and operating an appropriate Education and Health ICT solution for approximately twenty schools at their own cost.
Development Partners
The partnership has been further strengthened by the support and contribution of a number of development partners including the CSIR in South Africa who are making available the talent to undertake the continental management of this project; the Commonwealth of Learning and the World Bank InfoDev Programme who are responsible for implementation of the monitoring and evaluation plan; the International Telecommunications Union who are supporting the teacher training programme as well as other aspects of management and coordination; and the MRC who are assisting with the development of the "Health Points" in the NEPAD e-Schools.
NEPAD e-SCHOOLS DEMO: MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)
The key implementation partners of the NEPAD e-Schools Demo are the NEPAD e-Africa Commission, the governments of the participating countries, and the leaders of the private sector consortia. A number of other organizations will play a critical role in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Demo through the three key partners. The signing of an MOU between the three respective key partners at country level is a prerequisite for implementation, as the MOU formalizes acceptance of responsibilities of each partner.
The NEPAD e-Schools Project Demo is near finalization - 15 countries participated with six schools in each country. The countries participating in this demonstration project are: Algeria , Burkina Faso , Cameroon , Egypt , Gabon , Ghana , Kenya , Lesotho , Mali , Mauritius , Mozambique , Nigeria , Rwanda , Senegal , South Africa and Uganda. Currently, Egypt is the sixth country to launch this project after Uganda, Ghana, Lesotho, Kenya and Rwanda. Egypt will also become the first North African country to launch the NEPAD e-Schools.
To date the equipment has been installed, but it has proven difficult to get some of the Heads of State to launch these initiatives therefore there has been a delay in this area.
The aim is to have launched all the schools by June 2007. South Africa has not yet launched however, there is connectivity in each of the six RSA NEPAD e-schools.
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