The American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) developed the AABE Training Institute to develop Africa’s energy sector. The AABE Training Institute has several objectives, such as:
Build capacity through training, technical assistance, mentoring, and other approaches using AABE and AABE constituencies throughout the U.S.;
Mobilize and foster increased cooperation among a broad-based coalition of individuals, associations, companies, and organizations in the public and private sectors by promoting an in-depth public awareness and understanding about Africa and African energy-related issues, especially in the U.S. minority and other under-served populations;
Develop and promote progressive and consistent energy policy initiatives that will significantly advance the U.S.-Africa energy partnership, especially by stimulating trade and investment, technology transfer, and capacity development opportunities;
Provide relevant information to increase the U.S. and African publics’ awareness of the importance of energy-sector development and diversification to national security, overall economic growth, sustainable development, job creation, and the elimination of poverty;
Build strategic linkages among governments, organizations, institutions, and individuals with an interest in the energy sector in Africa;
Identify energy projects in Africa and act as a broker between U.S. and African business enterprises;
Assist U.S. energy companies expanding business opportunities in Africa to include participation of small, minority, women-owned, and African businesses through subcontracting and joint ventures;
and serve as a domestic and international resource for the dissemination of energy-related policy and trade information.
In 2004, the Department of Energy (DOE), signed a three-year cooperative agreement with AABE to assist in addressing African, South American and Caribbean energy needs. The President of AABE, Mr. Robert Hill, met with several ambassadors to address these issues.
The government of Angola requested that the United States participate in developing a national energy strategy for the country. The DOE assembled a team to visit the area and assess the possibilities. AABE will send an expert in electricity to join the DOE team. The inspection will take place from mid-November to Late December. Angola is seriously interested in exploring nuclear capabilities after the DOE report is completed. The current mix of electricity production in Angola is 25% fossil fuels and 75% hydroelectric. Currently, Angola’s economy is in disarray due to continuous civil warfare over the past 20 years. The country has rich resources such as gold, diamonds, lumber, fisheries and large oil deposits. Ninety percent of its crude oil is exported to the US, European Union and China. The United States receives approximately 65% of Angolan crude oil, refined petroleum products and gas. However, due to the civil unrest, Angola is one of the worlds lowest in GDP per capita.
Nigeria is another oil-rich African country with political instability issues. Corruption and mismanagement of the oil companies continue to limit growth for the country. In 1998, an oil pipeline leak and fire caused 500 fatalities in the province of Warri. Over 95% of Nigerian petroleum and petroleum products are sent to the US, Spain, Italy and France. The United States receives approximately 35% of Nigerian commodities per year. The Nigerian fuel mix to supply electricity to the entire country is primarily fossil fuels (61%) and hydro (39%). Recently, Nigeria announced that it partnered with China to develop its first nuclear reactor. The NIRR-1 reactor will be located at the Center for Energy Research on the campus of Ahmadu Bello University in the state of Kaduna. The nuclear research reactor will benefit the fields of agricultural production, solid minerals development, industrial production, health care, water resources management and environmental protection.
There are several research reactors in Africa including countries such as Algeria, Libya, Ghana and South Africa. In January, at a conference in Accra, Ghana, The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) reported that nuclear power should be a part of the energy mix in lessening the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. The report also mentioned the extending the lifetime of nuclear plants can be used as a means to reduce global warming.
The Republic of Ghana has been open to the idea of nuclear energy since 1961. Ghana currently operates a 30 MW research reactor (GHARR-1) designed solely for research, training and production of isotopes. While pioneering in this field as opposed to other countries in the Africa, it was not without its setbacks. In the late nineties, Ghana created a radioactive waste center, in order to deal with more than four decades of radioactive waste in the country. In the long term, Ghana hopes to develop a nuclear energy program. In 2002, the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) completed a draft nuclear policy for electricity generation in the country as a part of its 20-year integrated energy program from 2000 to 2020. Ghana’s energy demands are approximately 1800 MW however the country can only produce 900 MW. The GAEC efforts are in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Commission’s work on a project called Sustainable Energy Development for Sub-Saharan Africa. Ghana is also affiliated with Argonne National Laboratory and the United Nations Development Program. Ghana has also expressed assistance to match US minority firms to companies from that country in all industries.
AABE President Robert Hill sees AABE as a resource on nuclear power for the Training Institute. The DOE funds the Institute, and while limited, AABE has yet to fully expand on these opportunities. Robert Hill also expressed interests in distributed generation and portable nuclear technology for the nations in South America and the Caribbean. So far, Jamaica and Chile have research reactors developed by US and French companies. AABE members can be used as a consultant in several areas including, energy, engineering, quality assurance, quality control, environmental and transportation services. AABE can also offer contacts with embassies and an expert on African affairs to assist in foreign diplomacy. This way, we can help AABE in achieving its goals set out by the AABE Training Institute.
Chair, Luddy Hayden
