Lusaka, Zambia, 23 January 2026 (ECA) - The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has successfully concluded a three-day Validation Workshop on the development of a Just Energy Transition (JET) Framework, marking a key milestone in the region’s transition to a coordinated, inclusive, and resilient energy future.
Delivering the closing remarks on behalf of the SADC Executive Secretary, Mr. Elias Mpedi Magosi, Mr. Moses H. Ntlamelle, Senior Programme Officer – Energy at the SADC Secretariat, commended Member States, regional institutions, and development partners for their technical engagement and collective ownership of the process.
“The SADC Just Energy Transition Framework, validated this week, reflects the common position of our Member States. It will be strengthened by your valuable inputs and advanced through our statutory processes to support a resilient, industrialised, and energy-secure SADC,” said Mr. Ntlamelle.
The workshop, convened in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the ECA Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA), brought together Directors and Senior Officials responsible for energy, regulators, utilities, national oil companies, SADC subsidiary organisations, international cooperating partners, and regional implementing agencies.
Over three days, participants:
-
Reviewed and validated the draft JET Framework;
-
Identified cross-cutting priorities to strengthen implementation; and
-
Discussed operationalisation strategies to ensure effective delivery.
Key issues addressed included rising power demand amid constrained generation capacity, mobilisation of investment for priority projects such as Grand Inga and associated transmission infrastructure, transmission congestion, climate change impacts on hydropower, and the need for energy diversification to enhance regional resilience and security.
Mr. Ntlamelle also highlighted alignment with the 45th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government, which adopted the theme: “Advancing industrialisation, agricultural transformation, and energy transition for a resilient SADC.” The validated framework will now be updated with stakeholder inputs before submission to the Committee of Ministers responsible for Energy and other SADC statutory organs for approval.
In closing, Mr. Ntlamelle expressed gratitude to Member States, UNECA teams from Addis Ababa and Lusaka, SADC subsidiary organisations, service providers, interpreters, and the Government and people of Zambia for hosting the workshop.
The final day of the workshop featured robust discussions on translating the JET Framework from strategy into tangible results. Speaking on behalf of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Mr. Oliver Maponga, Economic Affairs Officer at ECA’s Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA), praised participants for their solutions-oriented dialogue and emphasized the need for a whole-of-economy and whole-of-society approach.
“A just energy transition must prioritize energy security, industrial development, job creation, and social inclusion, while fostering long-term climate resilience,” Mr. Maponga said.
He further stressed the urgency of moving from strategy to implementation, highlighting the need for strengthened project pipelines, skills development, and mobilisation of both domestic and international finance to deliver transformative, bankable energy projects across the region.
Mr. Maponga concluded by reaffirming ECA’s commitment to supporting the SADC Secretariat and Member States in advancing a people-centred, regionally owned, and development-driven energy transition.
Issued by:
The Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa
UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
P.O. Box 30647, Lusaka, Zambia.
Media Contacts:
Mr Bedson Nyoni – Senior Information Management Assistant
Tel: +260 211 228502/5 Ext. 21307
Email: nyonib@un.org