The Chief Executive Officer of the Electricity Control Board says the government has no intentions to generate revenue from the electricity industry. 

Robert Kahimise said this at the Regional Energy Regulator Association (RERA) of Southern Africa in Windhoek. 

Kahimise was responding to media questions on why electricity rates are high and whether the government wants to generate revenue out of a basic service such as electricity.

He explained that the electricity industry is faced with the challenge of making electricity affordable, reliable, and sustainable while it is still expected to sustain itself. 

"The intention through the regulator is to make the industry sustainable by how to manage cost price through subsidy. In actual fact, the government is putting money to ensure basic services are available, not taking money from electricity. I am just trying to emphasise the government policies and how the role players try to do what we can to achieve the government's objective."

The Regional Energy Regulator Association of Southern Africa also announced the appointment of an interim executive director for RERA, Francois Robinson from ECB, for a period of six months. 

"I am very grateful for this opportunity given by both the ECB and RERA. This is an opportunity for me to showcase what I am capable of and also how it was clearly highlighted that RERA has specific standards and we have to maintain them. We have also noted that in the interest of business continuing, they have appointed me as interim E.D."

Established in 2002, RERA is a formal association of energy regulators in SADC whose mission is to facilitate harmonisation of regulatory policies, legislation, standards, and practices and to ensure effective cooperation among energy regulators in SADC.