Day: August 17, 2024

President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act which sets out far-reaching reforms of the country’s electricity sector, including the establishment of a competitive electricity market.

In a statement on Friday, the Presidency said the bill assented to by the President amends the Electricity Regulation Act of 2006. This is so as to respond to current realities in the electricity sector.

It also opens up pathways to greater competition and reduced energy costs; increases investment in new generation capacity to achieve energy security; establishes an independent transmission company as the custodian of the national grid; and imposes severe penalties for damage to and sabotage of infrastructure.

The Electricity Regulation Amendment Act provides for the establishment, duties, powers and functions of the Transmission System Operator SOC Ltd (TSO) – which must be established as an independent entity within five years – and for the National Transmission Company of South Afr
ica to act as the TSO in the interim.

It also provides for an open market platform that allows for competitive, wholesale or retail buying and selling of electricity.

The Act provides for market operation as a new activity that may be licensed by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA).

In addition, it requires the development of a Market Code that will establish rules to govern the future competitive market and outlines the process through which the code will be approved.

The Act further clarifies the principles that apply to the setting or approval of prices, charges and tariffs, providing, among others, that NERSA must enable an efficient licensee to recover the full cost of the licensed activity, must allow for a reasonable return proportionate to the risk of the licensed activity, and may provide for incentives for continued improvement of technical and economic efficiency.

As it does so, the regulator may consider factors such as security of supply, the diversity of supply and the pro
motion of renewable energy.

In addition, the Act distinguishes between tariffs that must be set or approved by the regulator, such as network charges, and those which are subject to a direct supply agreement or arise as an outcome of a competitive market.

‘To ensure a level playing field for competition between multiple electricity generators, the Act provides that the system operator shall not discriminate between different generators or customers in relation to dispatching or balancing the system, except for objectively justifiable and identifiable reasons approved by the regulator.

‘Access to the transmission and distribution power system must be objective, transparent and non-discriminatory,’ said the Presidency.

These changes are in line with the broader reforms guided by the Energy Action Plan and the Eskom Roadmap, which aim to modernise and transform South Africa’s electricity system to end load shedding and ensure long-term energy security.

It is anticipated that diversity of supply and the prom
otion of renewables will stimulate a demand for new skills, innovation and technology in the electricity sector, which will generate new industrial activity and in turn mitigate unemployment.

Reinforcing the protection of public infrastructure as part of the fight against crime, the law provides for fines of up to R1 million or five years in prison – or both – for persons who, among other offences, damage, remove or destroy any transmission, distribution or reticulation cable, equipment or infrastructure.

Penalties for persons who unlawfully receive such cables, equipment or infrastructure face fines of up to R5 million or 10 years in prison, or both.

Going forward, the Act will lead to long term energy security, a more competitive energy system, more rapid uptake of renewable energy sources, and ultimately lower energy prices for all South Africans.

The Electricity Regulation Amendment (ERA) Bill was passed through a majority in the National Assembly in March.

READ | National Assembly passes Electricity
Regulation Amendment Bill

Source: South African Government News Agency

Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Angie Motshekga, has been appointed as South Africa’s Acting President.

‘President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Ms Angie Motshekga to serve as Acting President today, Saturday, 17 August 2024,’ said the Presidency in a brief statement on Saturday.

The appointment has been made in view of the President’s Working Visit today to Harare, Zimbabwe, to participate in the 44th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

President Ramaphosa arrived in Harare on Saturday morning to attend the Summit that will be held under the theme: ‘Promoting Innovation to unlock opportunities for sustained economic growth and development towards an Industrialised SADC’.

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Harare, in the Republic of Zimbabwe to attend the 44th Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government.

The President arrived in neighbouring Zimbabwe on Saturday morning.

READ | President Ramaphosa appoints Minister Motshekga as Acting President

The 44th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government will take place today under the theme: ‘Promoting Innovation to unlock opportunities for sustained economic growth and development towards an Industrialised SADC’.

The President will participate in discussions on the agenda of the Summit that include the Status of Member State Contributions, Regional Food and Nutrition Security, Status of health in the region, Implementation of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap as well as candidatures to continental and international organisations.

‘As South Africa commemorates the 30th Anniversary of its democracy and freedom, it will equally mark the 30th anniversary of it
s membership and active participation in SADC, since it joined this regional body in August 1994.

‘The Summit will provide an opportunity for SADC leaders to assess and review progress made in terms of the region’s flagship integration agenda, the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030, which is about promoting peace and security, good governance, socio-economic development and integration in the region,’ said the Presidency.

The President will also sign two SADC legal instruments; the SADC Declaration on Accelerating Action to End AIDS as a Public Health Threat in the Region by 2030 as well as the Agreement Amending the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.

During the Summit, the Republic of Zimbabwe will assume the Chairpersonship of SADC, taking over from the Republic of Angola, which chaired SADC since the previous Summit held in Luanda, in August 2023.

The Summit is preceded by the SADC Council of Ministers Meeting which took place from 13-14 August 2024 which was attende
d by South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Ronald Lamola.

Lamola commended the SADC for taking steps towards regional stability and economic integration.

READ | Lamola commends SADC’s steps towards regional stability and economic integration

A SADC Organ Troika Summit was also held on 16 August 2024.

President Ramaphosa is supported by Minister Lamola and the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Stakeholders in the energy sector have called for more commitment from government and players across the energy value chain to drive energy security.

They gave the advice at the 2024 Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) energy group event on Thursday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the event is ‘Securing Nigeria’s Energy Future: The Way Forward’.

They said that this would help to reshape the industrial sector and create a vibrant energy future for the country.

Mrs Olu Verheijen, Special Adviser, Energy, to President Bola Tinubu, reiterated the need to find solutions to the country’s energy insecurity, particularly with Nigeria as a top 10 gas reserve holder.

She said that in evaluating the country’s performance over a decade, 76 per cent of Nigeria’s gas reserve was undeveloped.

She noted that the Tinubu administration had taken steps via the presidential directives to make the country’s energy environment more attractive for investments.

According to her, go
vernment is ready to improve regulatory certainty to make Nigeria a top three destination for investments in oil and gas.

‘There have been presidential directives to clarify the role of regulators to attract investment in upstream and midstream sectors and to focus on fiscal incentives to drive energy transition to gas among others.

‘We have issued fiscal incentives and have attracted over $500 million and have started paying our gas debts.

‘The President also launched an initiative to bridge the metering gap, we have grown our grid capacity by having a commercial viable value chain and designed targeted subsidies to protect the poor.

‘In seeking energy abundance for Nigerians, we are committed to working with stakeholders to deliver prosperity to Nigerians,’ she said.

Mr Ray Atelly, President, NBCC, noted that in a world where energy shaped the very foundation of societies, a focus on energy had taken the centre stage like never before.

Atelly stated that the event’s theme resonated deeply with the cur
rent need of Nigeria given that the country’s energy sector was characterised by a substantial gap between demand and supply.

According to him, the global shift toward sustainability underscores the urgency for Nigeria to diversify its energy sources, particularly toward renewables like solar, wind, and hydropower.

‘As we confront environmental challenges and endeavour to meet the energy needs of a growing population, this transition opens up a world of possibilities.

‘Our discussions throughout the day will delve into maximising oil and gas resources, renewable energy adoption strategy, energy access – affordability and availability, and stakeholder role and engagement,’ he said.

Mr Nnamdi Anowi, General Manager, Production, Nigerian LNG (NLNG), said it was essential for Nigeria to align strategies with both current realities and future aspirations in a rapidly evolving global energy landscape.

Anowi noted that the country’s journey toward energy security was faced with numerous challenges ranging from
infrastructure constraints to the need for technological innovation and regulatory support.

He stated that these challenges also presented opportunities to forge stronger collaborations, adopt groundbreaking solutions, and champion policies that would fortify the energy sector.

‘At Nigeria LNG Ltd., we recognise that energy is not just a commodity but a critical driver of economic growth and national development.

‘We must design the future of energy for Nigeria, ensuring that it is secure, accessible, and modern in a world that is transitioning to cleaner energy.

‘We must embark on this journey to grow our energy for the future sustainably and responsibly, while at the same time maintaining energy security.

‘We cannot achieve this desire without requisite commitments from the government through policy and legislation to guide the framework and guarantee investments.

‘Government at all levels must play their part toward securing energy for our future,’ he said.

Mr Raph Gbobo, Managing Director, Shell Ni
geria Gas, noted that in energy transition, gas was the fastest growing fossil fuel with a very broad industrial application.

Gbobo said measures to drive energy security in the immediate term included enforcing discipline and transparency in the gas transportation network operation and implementing gas balancing.

He stressed the need to enforce contractual terms across the gas value chain, implement network code, and eliminate gas to power debts.

He said in the medium term, the energy sector must transition to cost reflective pricing, install and maintain the right meters, upgrade of existing transportation infrastructure, promote willing-buyer/willing-seller marketplace.

‘It is critical to complete ongoing gas pipelines and network interconnectivity and set globally competitive fiscals for gas.

‘In the long term, the Federal Government should support investment in gas infrastructure and offer fiscal incentives to incentivise distribution infrastructure investments,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Ni
geria

Prof. Muhammad Ali-Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare has inaugurated the construction of 10 first class oncology and diagnostic centres to promote equality and enhance access to quality healthcare Service delivery in the country.

Ali-Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, stated this on Friday in Bauchi during the groundbreaking of the oncology centre, at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University – Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.

Ali-Pate said the centres would be constructed to meet International best standards under the MedServe, the wholly owned healthcare company of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).

He said the gesture was part of the transformative initiatives of President Bola Tinubu administration’s to unlock health sector interventions for quality service delivery.

According to him, President Tinubu is investing heavily in the health sector to ensure every Nigerian has access to quality healthcare service delivery.

Groundbreaking of oncology/d
iagnostic centre project at ATBU-TH, Bauchi

‘Mr President is very clear, he wants to transform this country. He wants to change the direction of this country, and we are fortunate that he picked health as one of those areas.

‘In just one year, he has done what has not been done in the history of this country in the health sector.

‘He has launched many initiatives and building on what MedServe has done. We are seeing 10 major infrastructural projects with the groundbreaking that is happening.

‘In 12 months, we will start opening them all across Nigeria.

‘There are 6,000 centres that NSIA-MedServe is doing, and I think the money is available and those too would be completed within 12 to 18 months, they will be opened,’ he said.

According to Ali-Pate, the federal government is retraining 120,000 frontline health workers, adding that 10,000 of them had been retrained across the country including Bauchi.

Wale Edun, Muhammad Ali-Pate and Gov. Bala Mohammed unveil a medical facility at ATBU-TH, Bauchi

Wale E
dun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, commended the NSIA-MedServe for effective utilisation of funds towards transforming healthcare service delivery in the country.

He said the construction of the new oncology and diagnostic centres would ensure delivery of quality healthcare services and encourage medical tourism in Bauchi State.

According to him, the initiative will grow the economy, create jobs and reduce poverty in the country.

The state governor, Bala Mohammed, said that his administration has earmarked over N25 billion to upgrade the Specialist Hospital Bauchi, to augment the operation of the ATBU-TH.

Mohammed said the state government has also allocated the General Hospital, Misau, to fast track establishment of the Federal Teaching Hospital project.

While pledging support to federal government’s policies and programmes, Mohammed lauded President Tinubu over execution of viable healthcare infrastructure development projects in the state.

Muhammad Ali-Pate, Coordi
nating Minister of Health and Social Welfare inspects facilities at ATBU-TH, Bauchi

Also speaking, Dr Tolulope Adewole, Managing Director, MedServe, said that between 2020 and today, Medserve had attended to 131,000 patients in NSIA Kano diagnostic centre with evidential testimonies.

He explained that close to 700,000 individual tests had been done between the laboratories and imaging, adding that the same gesture had been extended to Umuahia, Abia, and over 10,000 patients treated in Lagos.

‘MedServe is primarily committed to the socio-economic upliftment of Nigerians hence the focus on expanding access to high quality medicare through medical infrastructure investment, capacity enhancement for key medical personnel and strategic partnerships with key stakeholder in the oncology value chain.

‘As we hope to inaugurate this one in Bauchi, in another 12 to 15 months, this project’s doors would never be closed and that the patients of Bauchi would join that number, and they would have a testimonial of what i
s going to happen.

‘We have just three things that we do, equity, access and quality, and our goal is to demonstrate equitable access.

‘All lives are equal and the same quality service you get in other places would be gotten here.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that MedServe’s healthcare expansion programme follows the success of the three demonstration projects including the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre (NLCC), NSIA-Kano Diagnostic Centre (NKDC) and the NSIA-Umuahia Diagnostic Centre (NUDC), respectively.

The phased expansion programme will significantly optimise oncology and diagnostic care in Nigeria by the establishment of 23 diagnostic centres, three additional oncology centres and seven catheterization laboratories co-located within federal tertiary institutions across the six geo-political zones.

The new oncology and diagnostic centers are projected to serve approximately 5,000 and 350,000 patients respectively, significantly reducing the burden of cancer and improving preventive care through
diagnostics.

The intervention will further unlock access to world class oncology care, reduce cancer-related death, significantly support the retention of foreign exchange that would otherwise have been deployed for health care and improve preventive care through proactive diagnosis.

It also seek to offer specialised treatments and cutting-edge technology at par with international standards, to encourage Nigerians to seek high quality care within the country.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, says President Bola Tinubu is transforming the country’s health sector for better quality service delivery.

Pate said this in Bauchi on Friday, during the groundbreaking of 10 MedServe’s oncology and diagnostic centres at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi.

According to him, the president is investing so much in the health sector to ensure every Nigerian has access to quality healthcare service delivery across the country.

‘Mr President is very clear, he wants to transform this country. He wants to change the direction of this country, and we are fortunate that he picked health as one of those areas.

‘In just one year, he has done what has not been done in the history of this country in the health sector.

‘He has launched many initiatives and building on what Medserve has done. We are seeing 10 major infrastructural projects with the groundbreaking that is happening.

‘In 12 months, we will start o
pening them all across Nigeria.

‘There are 6,000 centres that Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority(NSIA), is doing, and I think the money is available and those too would be completed within 12 to 18 months, they will be opened,’ he said.

He also said that Tinubu had undertaken the retraining of 120,000 frontline health workers, adding that 10,000 of them had been retrained across the country including in Bauchi.

Also speaking, Dr Tolulope Adewole, Managing Director, Medserve, said between 2020 and now, Medserve had attended to 131,000 patients in NSIA Kano diagnostic centre with evidential testimonies.

He explained that close to 700,000 individual tests had been done in Medserve’s diagnostic centres, adding that centres would be created in Umuahia and Abia,

‘As we hope to inaugurate this one in Bauchi, in another 12 to 15 months, this project’s doors would never be closed and that the patients of Bauchi would join that number, and they would have a testimonial of what is going to happen.

‘We have jus
t three things that we do, equity, access and quality, and our goal is to demonstrate equitable access.

‘All lives are equal and the same quality service you get in other places would be getting here,’ he said.

In his address, Bauchi Governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed, said that his administration would soon expend N25 billion on the state Specialist Hospital to complement the medical services at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital.

He appreciated Tinubu for deepening inclusion and thank him for capturing Bauchi in his Renewed Hope Agenda.

‘We want poverty and anger to go and this kind of initiative is also reducing anger.

‘On behalf of myself and indeed all the governors in the various states of the federation where this programme is coming, we are happy with the Federal Government,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria