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Southern African Natural Gas Advisory Service Service
SADC has a number of directorates each with defined objectives and responsibilities. One of these is the Directorate of Infrastructure and Services (I&S). Three key functions of the I&S Directorate are as follows:
- Development, promotion and harmonization of energy policies, strategies, programmes and projects.
- Promotion of an enabling environment for investment in energy infrastructure.
- Coordination and promotion of integrated management of trans-border energy resources for regional integration and development.
The SADC Secretariat is located in Gaborone, Botswana. Further information about SADC is available on www.sadc.int
Natural Gas in Southern Africa
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)
The development of the natural gas industry in various parts of the world has been shown through experience to be a regional and multi country undertaking. Often the location of gas fields and production facilities lie some miles away from centres of consumption necessitating regional infrastructure.
Such projects require major investment; inter Government and country cooperation and participation together with necessary enabling energy policy and investment rules. In some cases individual countries do not have the necessary expertise or resources to benefit from major natural discoveries within their borders. In other situations they may not have sufficient local demand or large ‘anchor’ customers to kick start supply development to achieve the economies of scale for to justify major infrastructure investment. In some cases major anchor customers such as large regional electricity producers lie across nearby borders .
It is one thing to discover exciting large natural gas fields but an entirely different undertaking to ensure that these indigenous energy resources are harnessed and developed for the primary benefit of local and regional citizens. It is in this context that the Southern Africa Development Community may well need to play a pivotal enabling role for natural gas in the future in the region.
The Southern Africa Development Community was created in 1980 with the aim of coordinating development projects to lessen economic dependence on South Africa.
It was formed in Lusaka Zambia in April 1980 following the creation and acceptance of the Lusaka Declaration: Towards Economic Liberation.
The organization was then changed to a development body in August 1992 in Windhoek, Namibia when it became the Southern Africa Development Community backed by the Governments and the official representatives of 15 countries in Southern Africa. Members of SADC are: Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
For further information about each of the member countries of SADC click here: SADC Overview
For information about Natural Gas in Southern Africa see the Southern Africa Useful Links page below.