A two-day SADC Energy Investment Conference takes place in Frankfurt, Germany on March 04 and 05 in an effort to address the prevailing power shortfalls in the SADC Region and the adverse impact it has on socio economic growth.

Organised by Ambassadors of SADC Member States to Germany in collaboration
with the SADC Secretariat and the Southern African Initiative of German Business
over the last eighteen months, the Conference is also a follow up to the visit to the
SADC Secretariat by the German President, His Excellency Horst Kohler, who was
hosted by the SADC Executive Secretary in May, 2006, at which SADC made a case for investment by German Business.

The Conference seeks to afford SADC an opportunity to promote investment in the power sector as well as other renewable sources of energy within SADC Region through direct engagement with German investors under the umbrella of the German Chamber of Commerce with the following as part of its key objectives:
•   Creating awareness within the German business community on the prevailing
    power shortfalls within the SADC Region as well as the investment opportunities
    obtaining in the SADC region;
•   Creating an opportunity for the SADC Region to present bankable and other
    projects to the German business community and ensuing engagement between
    investors and SADC Member States/utilities;
•   Identifying modalities for financing power sector projects in SADC; and
•   Creating opportunities and avenues of negotiations on investment in SADC power     sector projects with German investors.

The Conference shall also deliver a Way Forward Document, on the basis of which
follow up on investment dialogue and sealed deals shall be firmed up by the MemberStates and German Business.

The Conference shall be addressed by the German Federal Minister of Economic
Affairs, Southern African Initiative of German Business (SAFRI), the Chair of the
SADC Group of Ambassadors in Germany, the Executive Secretary of SADC, the
Chairpersons of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and the SADC Regional
Electricity Regulators Association (RERA), KFW, representatives of the African
Development Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa, European Investment
Bank and many other dignitaries and experts in investment and project finance in the energy sector. About 12 SADC Ministers and Ambassadors are expected to make interventions at the Conference and elaborate on specific projects within their Member States during a Special Ministerial Session. SADC Ministers shall be
accompanied by their national power utilities, regulators and experts in renewable energy.

The Conference is sponsored by Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KFW) (Gold
Sponsor), Southern Africa Initiative of German Business (Silver Sponsor) SADC
Secretariat, Emirates Airlines, BDI (the Voice of German Industry), DIHK and Afrika Verein. A number of media partners have been engaged for the occasion, and these include, Africa-Asia Confidential, Africa Confidential, Ecoselect, Engineering News,Petroleum Africa, among others.

SADC Secretariat
Gaborone, Botswana                                                  March 03, 2010