Sustainable energy access in Southern Africa
Researchers from Southern Africa discussed participatory processes in their countries to promote access to energy and environmental sustainability. The Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (ICTA-UAB) organized the mini-symposium "The challenges of Promoting sustainable energy access in Southern Africa: The view of the local experts" on Wednesday September 30. The event was open to the general public and was part of the activities of the Master in Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental Sustainability, Economic and Social (SAES). The session took place from 15 to 18 pm in Room 7 Aulari Central, campus UAB.
The event was sponsored by UAB's Fundació Autònoma Solidària. Invited professors were Zivayi Chiguvare, director of Namibia Energy Institute of the Polytechnic of Namibia; Cheddi Kiravu, Senior Lecturer of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology and director of the Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC) of the University of Botswana, and Lapologang Magole senior researcher scholar of Natural Resources Governance in the Okavango Research Institute University of Botswana. The rest of the week different lectures were scheduled for the Masters students, involving ICTA-UAB researchers François Maurin Diaz, Mario Giampietro and Zora Kovacic.
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Opening address (15:00 – 15:15) Mario Giampietro, ICREA Professor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
(15:15-15:45) Socio-economic and geo-political factors shaping the energy sector of Namibia. Zivayi Chiguvare, Director of Namibia Energy Institute, Polytechnic of Namibia.
(15:45-16:15) The energy sector of Botswana, present state and future options. Cheddi Kiravu, Director of the Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC), University of Botswana.
(16:15-16:45) Using energy to do what? The challenges of rural development in Botswana. Lapologang Magole, Senior Research Scholar, Okavango Research Institute, University of Botswana.
(16:45-17:15) Experiences from Catalan cooperation: Participation and empowerment in infrastructure projects in Africa. Manel Rebordosa, Ingeniería Sin Fronteras (ISF) Catalunya
(17:15-18:00) Questions and roundtable discussion.
Moderator: Matthias Kaiser (University of Bergen, Norway)