Tshisekedi Calls Out to Regional Leaders to Revive Dams Projec
By The Eastafrican
Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi is planning to hold a conference in Kinshasa next month, in what officials said would be the first step to seek regional political support for Africa’s biggest proposed water project.
The DRC leader, with the support of the African Union, has invited leaders from Angola, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa and Kenya to discuss the feasibility of the Grand Inga Dam project on the Congo River.
A preliminary programme for the April 28 meeting shows that Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and potential investors have been invited to help kick of the project that was mooted 10 years ago.
The AU special envoy for Infrastructure and Development, former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, had been tasked with speaking to leaders directly about the meeting.
AUDA-Nepad had been behind the project it sees as the ultimate solution for Africa’s power shortage and green energy.
When the leaders converge in Kinshasa, they will be required to define the funding sources, contractors and timelines for the project — the three key issued that delayed it.
The Grand Inga Project could have up to eight separate dams, with a power output of 43,500MW (4.35GW), or more, at a cost of $80 billion that will include establishing transmission lines. That would be enough to power east, central and southern African countries.
