Energy Week returns

What started as Energy Efficiency Week in 2005 has now become a popular annual Energy week.

Background

Energy Week is an annual campaign that focuses on sustainable use of energy and energy access. Energy Week, previously known as "Energy Efficiency Week," started in 2005 with the aim of sensitizing the public about efficient utilization of energy.

Since then, it has become a popular event with over 100 key stakeholders participating. Through this platform, awareness regarding energy use and conservation has been created. It has also become a platform for public authorities, energy agencies, private companies and civil society organisations engaged in Uganda's Energy Sector to dialogue and exchange ideas and discussions on pertinent energy-related issues.

The Week has further proved to be a good opportunity for organisations and companies to market and sell energy products, technologies and services. It also serves to meet the Government's commitment to providing Energy for social and economic development in a sustainable manner 

Theme

This year's theme is: Increasing Access to Clean Energy to Enable Industrialisation and Attainment of Middle Income Status.

About the theme

Energy is an input to all economic activities and day-to-day life. It is essential to health, development and livelihoods — whether used for cooking and heating, lighting, transportation or in factories. Without energy, most productive activities would come to a standstill.

Inefficient use of energy degrades the environment, wastes resources such as money and inputs to production processes and has severe impacts on the country's economic development. For example, use of traditional inefficient metallic charcoal stoves or three stone fire stove leads to use of more charcoal and firewood, hence resulting into environmental degradation.

For Uganda to shift from a peasantry to an industrialised and middle income status, it must be propelled by modern forms of energy such as improved bio mas stove, LED bulbs among others. In view of this, it is necessary to promote use of Uganda's energy resources in an efficient manner for a sustainable economic development.

Objectives

1. To increase awareness of the public on utilisation of Uganda's energy and mineral resources so that they can become better stewards in the utilisation of all forms of energy
2. To promote a platform for engaging stakeholders and establishing dialogue on the many challenging aspects of energy and minerals sector
3. To promote the private's sector involvement in the development of the energy and minerals sector;
4. To achieve more co-ordinated actions by the Government, private sector and civil society towards increasing sustainable energy use for the development of the country, and;
5. To promote the sale and utilisation of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies. This will in turn support the private sector in the promotion of their products

Key Activities

The Energy Week of 2016 will have a number of activities such as the media campaigns, road shows, Energy Exhibition, the Energy Management Symposium, the Biomass Dialogue and a Family day.

Energy Week Exhibition

This year's Energy Week Exhibition will run from October 31 to November 5. During the exhibition, companies dealing in energy related products and services will showcase their products and services. They will also exhibit up to date technologies that will propel the country to a middle income status.

The exhibition will officially be launched tomorrow at the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) grounds Lugogo. The day's activities will commence with a march led by the Uganda Police Band. The procession will move from Amber House to the Energy exhibition venue- KCCA grounds, Lugogo.

Participants in the march will include stake holders in the energy sector. At the exhibition, different technologies will be displayed such as; renewable energy and energy efficient technologies such as cooking and lighting technologies and products, petroleum products and energy innovations. All Ugandans are called upon to take advantage of the Energy Week exhibition to get solutions regarding on how to reduce energy costs and to discover innovative energy alternatives on the market.

Energy Management Symposium

The Energy Management Symposium will be held on November 3 at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala. It will bring to the fore front on-going and potential interventions aimed at improving energy efficiency among high energy consumers, power quality and reliability.

It will also provide a platform for discussions on how best to reduce losses in the entire electricity supply and consumption value chain. The symposium is also meant to follow up progress made in adoption of energy efficiency systems and practices. Attendance at the symposium will be by invitation.

The Biomass Dialogue

A Biomass Dialogue will be at Protea Hotel, Kampala on November 4. This is aimed at sharing major policy and technological interventions in the biomass sub sector.

The dialogue will focus on accelerating collective efforts towards promotion of sustainable utilisation of biomass energy and its impacts on the environment and climate change.

Companies and stake holders dealing in renewable energy technologies will be invited to attend.

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WWF-UCO 5th Annual Energy Symposium

Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development