International Conference: The European Union's Financing in the Energy Sector in Africa

05.10.2007: Which role for the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Infrastructure Partnership Trust Fund?

The European Union as part of its overall energy strategy intends to intensify its energy cooperation with African countries. The significance of the energy sector emerges from recent policy initiatives including the joint EU Africa strategy currently being developed and emerges from several recent policy initiatives including the EU-Africa Energy Partnership and new instruments such as the EU-Africa Infrastructure Partnership Trust Fund. The Energy Partnership is expected to be launched at the EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon in December 2007. It aims to improve the climate for energy investments, to increase the amount invested in energy projects and to make oil and gas revenues more transparent, as well as to reinforce the development of renewable energy. The Commission’s communication on energy policy for Europe from January 2007 suggests that the European Investment Bank (EIB) might play a vital role in the EU-Africa energy partnership. This role is also clearly envisaged in the EIB's own energy review from October 2006.

At operational level, the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund Agreement was signed in April 2007, with 10 Donors (Commission + and 9 Member States) pledging initial contributions of EUR 87M to support regional infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa, including regional energy projects. EIB manages the Trust Fund, other European Development Finance institutions (eg AFD, KfW, COFIDES....) are also participants. From a development perspective, the Trust Fund seeks to foster European co-financing in support of regional infrastructure projects in Africa.

As European civil society we want to critically evaluate the role and responsibility of the EIB in the different EU instruments for energy cooperation with Africa in preparation of the EU-Africa Summit in December 2007. Does the EIB’s energy portfolio in Africa contribute to the EU stated aims of sustainable development, combating climate change and the eradication of poverty? Are the various approaches coherent and do they provide value-added? And do EIB’s energy projects in Africa promote sustainable energy usage as well as renewable and decentralised energy cooperation?

To review and evaluate the conference, download the discussion summaries, the biographies of the speakers and their presentations/discussion papers (below)!

Programme:

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10:15-11:00 - EU infrastructure for development initiatives - an overview and assessment
Alistair Wray, UK Department for International Development

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11:00-11:45 -EU-Africa infrastructure trust fund and energy facility
Raul Mateus - Paula, EU Commission, AIDCO

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11:45-12:30 - Financing energy sector in africa: EIB's and infrastructure partnership trust fund perspectives
Catherine Collin - European Investment Bank
Kurt Simonsen - European Investment Bank

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14:00-15:00 -Recent energy financing of EIB in Africa - an NGO perspective
Korinna Horta, Environmental Defense

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15:00-15:45 - Terms for a sustainable energy future in Africa - a blueprint
Download draft blueprint discussion paper
Ibrahim Togola, Folke Center Mali

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16:00-17:15 - Panel discussion: What would an energy strategy coheret to EU sustainability, climate and poverty reducton goals look like?
Catherine Collin - European Investment Bank
Ibrahim Togola, Folke Center Mali
Friedel Hütz-Adams, Südwind
Simon Koppers, German Federal Mininstry for Economic Cooperation and Development

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17:15-17:30 - Concluding remarks
Klaus Schilder, World Economy, Ecology & Development

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Organized by:

• BothEnds
• Bretton Woods Project (BWP)
• Campagna per la Riforma della Banca Mondiale (CRBM)
• CEE Bankwatch Network
• Les Amis de la Terre
• terre des hommes
• urgewald
• World Economy, Ecology & Development (WEED)

Organizers gratefully acknowledge financial support from the European Commission