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The IEA is holding its first ever Training Week on energy efficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa this week. The training, which is running from 14 to 17 October in Pretoria, South Africa, has brought together 150 policy makers from 33 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and aims to equip them with knowledge and skills to deliver effective energy efficiency initiatives in their respective countries.

Ambassadors and senior representatives from international organisations are also in attendance and will share their perspectives for Africa. In addition, representatives from leading African efficiency organisations will highlight the importance of regional collaboration.

This is the 12th Training Week organised as part of the IEA’s Energy Efficiency in Emerging Economies (E4) programme. Including this week, the E4 programme has trained over 1500 professionals from more than 110 countries on the essentials of energy efficiency policy making.

"The IEA is helping us to connect the dots on energy efficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa," said Ms Mokgadi Modise, Deputy Director General at the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy of South Africa, during her opening remarks. "We need to take international experience and contextualise it, to make it so simple that the people can understand it," she added.

Participants begin their week with a look at opportunities and future perspectives for efficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa, and will move into courses on energy efficiency in buildings, appliances, industry and cities. Strategies for making progress on efficiency, backed by sound data and indicators, will be in focus during the latter half of the week. Each course offers a mix of lectures, interactive discussions and practical exercises that allow participants to learn from international best practice and each other.

"The facts are speaking for themselves. We have to invest in clean energy and energy efficiency in particular," said His Excellency Mr Johannes Petrus Maria (Han) Peters, Ambassador of The Netherlands to South Africa, in the opening panel. "Every country is different, we have to share solutions," he said.

The IEA is prioritising work in Africa in the years ahead. South Africa, who joined the IEA family last November as an Association country, will be a critical partner for launching and delivering an ambitious array of energy access, security and clean energy transitions initiatives across the continent. Energy efficiency will play a central and cross-cutting role in these initiatives.

"Every country has to find their own solution, and the IEA is here to support that process," said Rebecca Gaghen, Head of Division for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America at the IEA. "As Deputy Director General Modise said, let’s make it simple and let’s make it happen," she added.   

The next E4 Training Week will take place in Vietnam in the spring of 2020 with a focus on Southeast Asia. More information about the training will be available in the coming months.