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African School of Regulation Newsletter

February 2024

Editorial

By Professor Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga, ASR Interim Director

Welcome to our fifth newsletter - corresponding to the last quarter of 2023 - which concludes a very intense year 2023 in which the ASR has achieved the objectives set by the nine Parties of the ASR Partnership for the first phase of the establishment of the School: finding an African host institution, appointing a director, preparing an action plan for the next few years and securing of a stable financial perspective for the ASR during this period. We thank you for helping us to achieve this first important goal and for staying with us in the next phase of the ASR’s establishment.

During 2023 the ASR has made progress in three dimensions: institutional development, implementation of capacity-building activities and the gradual build-up of human resources.

In September, the ASR was officially launched during an event at the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi. A few weeks later, the ASR was formally recognised and welcomed by the African Union (AU) during the 4th Ordinary Session of the Specialised Technical Committee on Transport, Interregional Infrastructure and Energy (STC-TTIIE). This recognition was included in the Zanzibar Declaration, which called on pan-African energy organisations to support the ASR.

In December, a Hosting Agreement was signed between the European University Institute - the legal representative of the nine ASR Parties and where the Florence School of Regulation has hosted the ASR - and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF). Thus, the ASR has already become an African organisation, it will be hosted by the ACBF in its offices in Accra, Ghana, and the transfer of the ASR staff and activities from Florence to Accra will take place during 2024.

After a rigorous process that began in July 2023, the ASR Parties appointed Dr Frederick Nyang, former Director of Economic Regulation at the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), Nairobi, Kenya, as the ASR Executive Director on 1 February 2024.

These are other highlights of 2023 for the ASR:

• A network of implementing partner organisations has been established, including the Power Futures Lab at the University of Cape Town, Makerere University, Strathmore University, the Ghana Institute for Management and Public Administration, the Policy Centre for the New South at the Mohammed VI University in Rabat and the University of Ibadan. Members of these organisations will form the Academic Committee of the ASR. Contacts continue with other academic organisations that have expressed an interest in working with the ASR.

• The ASR held 10 online events, including 3 online conferences, 2 webinars in French, and 4 ASR Talks. Click to learn more.

• A podcast series called A Sustainable Future for Africa Podcast, featuring industry leaders and emerging leaders was launched in October 2023.

• The ASR team grew to 5 staff and an administrative assistant - all based temporarily at the Florence School of Regulation - plus two part-time external senior experts and the part-time Interim Director.

• ASR staff participated in several international events and training courses in Africa and Europe.

This newsletter provides details of these and other recent events.

Institutional Development

With logistic support from the Rockefeller Foundation, in the Net Zero Carbon Pavilion at the COP28, the ASR organised an event entitled “Regulation and energy development in Africa”, where sound regulatory measures that can have a major impact on energy development and climate change in African countries were discussed. The event was opened by the Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation and the Deputy Energy Minister of Ghana. Speakers from the African Energy Commission (AFREC), African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Clean Air Task Force (CATF), ENGIE Energy Access, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) participated in the event.

In addition to our featured event, the ASR Interim Director was invited to participate in other COP28 activities, including a debate organised by ENGIE Energy Access on minigrid business models, a panel by International Solar Alliance on adequate regulation for the deployment of solar generation and another by GEAPP on electrification access in Latin America and recorded a podcast for the FSR/ASR jointly with another EUI professor.

ASR's presence at COP28 allowed us to engage in important discussions with many of our supporting organisations, define collaborative efforts and forge meaningful partnerships, all aimed at promoting capacity building for energy development and regulatory excellence in Africa.

Forging Partnerships and Collaborations

Contacts have been established with several organisations to work together in research and training activities in energy regulation:

• Collaboration with Get.transform and Sustainable Energy Africa (SEA) to develop adequate regulation and implement a multi-country capacity building program to support regional utilities and regulators in the integration of distributed generation onto their grids. Review of a CrossBoundary draft White Paper on the same topic.

• Preparation of a chapter on "Transmission cost allocation in regional markets" for a World Bank handbook on transmission regulation, in collaboration with the University of Comillas in Madrid, Spain.

• Contacts with the Research Director of the African Energy Futures Initiative to explore potential collaborations.

• Participation of the Interim ASR Director and the ASR Research Associate Keno Shiferaw in a high-level workshop in Sierra Leone – and follow up meetings – to design a reform of the energy sector in this country.

• Advanced conversations to establish future collaborations with GEAPP/ GET.transform / the GIZ Group, and AFREC.

Implementation of capacity-building activities

ASR is launching its inaugural course titled: “Power Sector Regulation in Africa” on April 8, 2024. This 10-week online program, followed by a one-week residential session in June, in Accra, Ghana, aims to provide a practical understanding of power sector regulation in diverse African contexts. Designed to go beyond "informed opinions," this course focuses on imparting the skills needed for effective regulatory practice. It lays the groundwork for future specialised training. Interested? Register your interest to learn more!

During the fourth quarter of 2023, the ASR continued to develop its 2023 programme of activities, focusing on current issues in energy regulation in Africa and inviting and facilitating interaction with African and global experts from policy makers, regulators, utilities, independent developers, academia, and development partners to identify the key issues and how to address them. These activities lay the foundation for further activities and help to shape the training content and research objectives of the ASR.

ASR Events: Online conferences: ASR Talks and webinars.

On November 27th, ASR successfully hosted its second event of the French webinar series in collaboration with the European Commission Global Technical Assistance Facility (GTAF). The webinar featured French-speaking panellists discussing "Private Investment in Electricity Transmission Infrastructure." The conference, conducted entirely in French (with English simultaneous translation), brought together a powerhouse of experts in the industry. It garnered significant interest, with a total of 65 registered participants and an average attendance of 40. Plans for the next conference are already in motion, so stay alert for updates.

The series of ASR Talks with experts aims to promote policy dialogue and complement ASR's research and training activities on topical issues. On 5 October, we welcomed Rebekah Shirley Director at World Resources Institute (WRI) for the ASR Talk on “Navigating Africa’s Energy Gap: Climate Protection, Clean Energy, and Investment Strategies for Sustainable Development”. Dr. Shirley addressed the pressing issue of energy access in Africa, where over 600 million people lack electricity, and more than 930 million lack access to clean cooking fuels. During the interactive session, the ASR Talk explored key questions related to affordability, funding for energy access, and the intricate challenges of balancing climate change mitigation with achieving universal energy access.

Other activities by ASR staff

Participation of the ASR Interim Director in a high-level conference in London on private investment in renewables and transmission networks in Africa.

Human Resources

The ASR is still seeking expressions of interest from individuals for the positions of two Research Assistants, one Senior Researcher and an Administrative Assistant If you are interested in any one of the positions and would like to receive information about the requirements of the position and the selection process, please apply using the following link.

For more information

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Visit the ASR online at ASR link for more information on the ASR, its past and future activities and the ASR Parties and supporting organisations.