Africa Urged to Strengthen Regional Power Integration for Energy Security

Addis Ababa, November 3, 2026 (ENA)— Stronger regional electricity networks and effective power markets would enable African countries to utilize their energy resources more efficiently while improving the resilience of their electricity systems, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Executive Secretary Claver Gatete said today.

The Executive Secretary made the call while speaking at the 36th African Hydro Symposium in Addis Ababa.

According to him, energy security is increasingly a regional undertaking, requiring coordinated infrastructure planning and sustained cooperation among governments, utilities, regulators and regional organizations.

Gatete further stressed that regional energy integration depends on climate-resilient hydropower development, calling for climate risk assessments, sustainable water management and stronger cooperation among countries sharing river basins.

 

He also highlighted the need to improve hydropower project financing and strengthen African technical and institutional capacity to support sustainable energy development.

Echoing the call for stronger regional energy integration, Water and Energy State Minister Dinku Seyum said that Ethiopia views the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and its broader hydropower portfolio as catalysts for regional energy integration.

 

He said surplus clean electricity from Ethiopia's hydropower resources would support cross-border power trade and foster more interconnected regional energy systems.

The State Minister noted that the GERD demonstrates Ethiopia's commitment to harnessing its natural resources for sustainable development, ensuring domestic energy security while contributing to broader regional connectivity.

Dinku called on African countries to strengthen cooperation in developing their hydropower resources and mobilize their own resources to overcome financing and technical capacity constraints.

Ethiopia's Green Legacy Initiative and integrated watershed management efforts are important measures for protecting the environment and sustaining hydropower resources, he added, underscoring the need to diversify energy sources to strengthen climate resilience.

The opening of the symposium has also seen the launch of African Union's Continental Energy Security Policy Framework which provides a common basis for advancing energy security at national and regional levels.

 

The framework, developed with support from UNECA, African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) and the African Energy Commission, was approved by the AU Specialized Technical Committee on Transport and Energy in April this year.

Held under the theme "Climate-Resilient Hydropower and Water-Energy Security in Africa," the three-day symposium has brought together governments, utilities, financiers, developers and researchers from Africa and beyond to discuss sustainable hydropower development and the continent's energy security.