The IEA Head of Energy, Technology and R&D, Mr. Neil Hirst;

CEO of CEF, Mr. Mputumi Damane;

CEO of SANERI, Mr. Kevin Nassiep;

Distinguished guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen

The scene is thus set here for the International Energy Agency (IEA), which has developed the Networks of Expertise in Energy Technology (NEET) Initiative to engage developing countries on its various international energy agreements.

As part of this NEET Initiative, this workshop, held under the auspices of SANERI, is designed to further set up a discourse among the Agency’s international energy technology network, key players in South Africa and members of the business, financial, policy and research communities.

Among other things, this exchange of ideas will discuss what has been achieved so far, and what needs to be done to promote further progress within the energy R&D community.

This event will therefore enhance awareness of existing research, development and deployment networks, as well as facilitate broader participation where appropriate. South Africa has a longstanding co-operative engagement with the IEA, which acts as an energy policy advisor to 26 other member countries.

We are thus at a critical and exciting time within the energy sector; critical in that there are global concerns around energy supply and climate change, and exciting in the sense that there are hugely promising scientific and technological developments in store.

Even from an economic perspective, we are experiencing both positive changes and unexpected challenges.

After years of instability in Southern Africa, most countries in the region are enjoying sustained economic growth. However, this is exerting pressure on our existing energy infrastructure and creating supply challenges as we try to extend services and enhance the quality of life of the people living within the region.

Ladies and Gentlemen, economic growth today is not taking place in the same environment as it did, say 40 years ago.

There was a time when energy supplies were abundant and no global concerns surrounding climatic change of our planet.

Today’s reality is far different. Right here in South Africa we can see evidence of economic distortions and inequalities, which stem from our historical legacy.

There are, for instance, inefficient towns with low population densities but large energy infrastructure. We have cities with energy-inefficient buildings, people located far from work opportunities, thus creating transport stresses and serious tensions around the management of energy demand.

As we reach out to our citizens, a significant number of whom live in poverty, we have to ensure that we put in place lasting and sustainable solutions.

Our goal is to provide for the energy needs of today’s society without compromising the quality and cost of living of tomorrow’s generations.

Recent development patterns indicate that there are no reasons for mistakes of the past to be repeated. Technology and globalised access have introduced huge changes.

It is a surprising fact that in Africa, the first telephone that many people come to own is a cell phone. Some of us have no experiences of manual exchanges and party lines.

Africa just leapfrogged to a more advanced technology in less than a decade. Similarly with energy production, we can capitalise on the latest developments in energy capture, distribution and use.

As we have seen with the adoption of the cellular telephone in Africa, adaptation to, and adoption of, current and new energy supply technologies could lead to a society very different from that which we see today, while at the same time lifting everyone out of poverty.

It is not simply what technical innovations are needed to reduce current pollution levels and improve energy efficiencies, but rather, how technical innovation can change the way people live their lives and their energy consumption patterns.

Therefore, this auspicious gathering is important for the rapidly expanding Southern African economy.

The role that South Africa plays in supporting the energy needs of the Southern African region will be greatly enhanced through the deliberations on energy research and development discourse that will take place at this workshop.

It is for this reason that government has committed itself to increasing investment in energy research and development.

This investment must lead to greater levels of innovation in order to build a successful and competitive knowledge economy. I urge the private sector to demonstrably support these investments, which will both enhance its growth and capacity to do business in South Africa and the African continent.

That is why my department is focusing on enhancing SANERI’s human capital development programmes through the creation of energy technology experts. These experts will emerge through multidisciplinary approaches that focus on management, engineering, the physical environment, social development, as well as economics.

The relationship that SANERI has established with the International Energy Agency is of particular note for the development and deployment of clean and efficient energy technologies.

We believe this relationship is further enhanced by the quest to address the mitigation and adaptation to climate concerns at both a local and a global level.

May I, therefore, take this moment to acknowledge and thank SANERI and all the players who took part in this exciting and challenging programme.

I hope all interested parties will keep developing the technological solutions that our country and continent so desperately require. Without your tireless dedication and hard work, South Africa and the continent will continue to constitute the largest consumers of foreign innovations, despite the wealth of new ideas we have.

In closing, join me once again in congratulating the team of officials from my department, the Department of Minerals and Energy, as well as SANERI, who all worked tirelessly for the realisation of this workshop.

South Africa and the region can only benefit from many more of such partnerships.

I thank you.