Description
The demand for energy in the region has been rising due to economic activities in the countries, particularly in the mining, manufacturing and agriculture sectors. Energy generation in the region relies almost entirely on hydropower, however, the recent droughts experienced in the region have caused serious electricity supply deficits. Governments are now actively seeking to enhance the renewable energy sector which has abundant renewable energy resources yet to be fully exploited. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) through its Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Strategy and Action Plan recommends that member states must achieve energy security by closing the current supply/demand deficit in the power sector and enable future economic growth and industrialization through transitioning to and/or increasing the use of renewable energy sources and developing innovative ways of using energy to drive sustainable development. Agro-processing and Renewable Energy was identified as National Research Priority Areas in Mozambique and Botswana.To contribute towards efforts to enhance the agroprocessing and renewable energy sector in the two countries, FNI and BDIH will fund collaborative research projects in both areas. The objective of this Bilateral Joint Call is to generate critical knowledge that will help in strategic development and utilization agriculture production and energy sources to diversify the energy mix and accelerate achievement of the countries’ energy generation targets, increase industry competitiveness, improve service delivery and reduce poverty.
