EABC Pushes Renewables

The East African Business Council (EABC) is lobbying its member states Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda to invest in locally available energy as an alternative to the more costly imported petroleum option. According to the EABC the available alternative sources include solar power, wind, biomass, and hydropower.

In an article released by the EABC to East African Business Week, entitled “Renewable Energies Investment Lobbying Strategy for East Africa," the group says that a solar panel, a wind mill, hydro, or biogas plant can be a perfect substitute for electricity generated using petroleum products.

Currently all member states of the EABC are net importers of petroleum products, which places a heavy burden on the government coffers and further weakens the individual member states’ economies. 

The region, the group says, should develop its own contribution to prevent further climate change by harnessing its renewable energy potential, the article reads, and also warns that it is better to start looking at alternatives now rather than later.

Governments should reconcile their policies of renewable energy usage and the private sector should be assisted in gaining access to loans to pave the way for the smooth operation of independent power projects.