Africa-Press – Angola. Angola’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Francisco da Cruz, said on Wednesday in Lusaka, Zambia, that the country is positioning itself as a regional leader in renewable energy through large-scale solar investments.
The Angolan diplomat was speaking at an interactive panel on innovative solutions to strengthen the resilience of least developed countries, within the scope of the III Forum on the Future of LDCs, which is taking place in that southern African country, according to a note from the Permanent Mission of Angola to the United Nations.
He spoke about how Angola has been leveraging oil revenues to improve climate resilience, highlighting that the Export-Import Bank of the United States
(US ExIm) is financing with more than 2 billion dollars for the expansion of renewable energy in the country, one of the most significant commitments to date in Africa.
According to the diplomat, Angola is currently developing “the largest solar energy project in Africa”, totalling more than 1.3 gigawatts
(GW) of installed capacity.
The project, he stressed, involves the construction of more than 100 mini-grids in several provinces to provide access to energy in rural areas, in collaboration with the North American company SunAfrica.
According to Francisco da Cruz, this governmental initiative aims to significantly reduce the country’s dependence on diesel, reducing emissions and improving access to electricity in off-grid and underserved areas. He referred to the Caculo Cabaça Hydroelectric Project, with an estimated cost of US$4.5 billion, being one of the largest hydroelectric investments in Africa, as the cornerstone of Angola’s strategy to expand clean energy capacity and reduce
dependence on fossil fuels.
He highlighted that the project will generate 2,100 megawatts (MW) of clean energy, making it one of the largest power plants in the country, alongside Laúca (2,070 MW), Cambambe (960 MW), Gove (60 MW), Lomaum (50 MW) and Mabubas (27 MW). In addressing climate-resilient water and irrigation systems, he highlighted that the country has been facing the most severe drought in the last 40 years due to its vulnerability to climate change and shocks, especially in the southern provinces.
He stressed that to address the impacts of this phenomenon, the government is investing more than 200 million dollars in climate-resilient water and irrigation systems, implementing structural projects to make rural communities more resilient, especially in the provinces of Cunene, Huíla and Namibe, which benefit more than three and a half million people.
In this regard, he highlighted the Cafu Canal project, launched in 2022, which consists of a 160-kilometre-long system of water channels
to capture and transfer water from the Cunene River to several villages in the province, ensuring better opportunities for food production and livestock farming.
On the other hand, he recognised that partnerships have been essential to the national strategy, from clean energy, water management to trade corridors and youth development. Furthermore, he focused on youth inclusion and gender-sensitive initiatives, with a focus on women’s empowerment in agriculture, energy and entrepreneurship.
Regarding cross-border water cooperation, he reported that the Angolan Government supports regional frameworks such as the SADC protocols on
shared watercourses and is aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Africa Water Vision 2025.
In this regard, he stressed that Angola, together with Namibia and Botswana, is a member of OKACOM (Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission), a commission that promotes the coordinated, sustainable and equitable use of shared water resources.
The country is also part of the Cubango-Okavango Strategic Action Programme, which focuses on ecosystem protection, climate resilience and water governance.
He reiterated that these efforts reflect Angola’s commitment to cross-border water cooperation and environmental diplomacy in preserving one of Africa’s most ecologically and culturally valuable river systems.
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