The Electricity Control Board (ECB) met with stakeholders in the power supply chain to review the industry's performance.

The ECB hosted a workshop to engage various stakeholders in examining the Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) and identifying innovative strategies to improve industry performance.

Tonateni Amukutuwa, Senior Financial and Market Analyst, stated, "There needs to be a performance framework to assess the performances of the ESI participants. This framework was established after setting the environment for the REDS, dividing it into two aspects: technical and financial evaluation, to effectively monitor and review the performances of the licensees."

Established in 2000, the ECB's mandate is to oversee the electricity supply industry, with its main responsibilities being the regulation of electricity generation, transmission, distribution, supply, and import and export by setting tariffs and issuing licences. 

During the workshop, Ishmael Shinenge, Manager of Economics and Marketing Regulations at ECB, addressed the importance of the electricity supply industry. "Your presence here underscores the significance of our collective efforts in shaping a resilient and efficient energy sector. Our regulatory mandate is for the ECB to regulate the Namibian ESI in a sustainable manner, in the interest of stakeholders concerning efficiency, affordability, safety, and accessibility. This includes developing tools and frameworks to enable operational efficiency and improve performance and governance within the industry."

Key points raised during the roundtable discussion included a lack of customer service standards, along with challenges related to human capital, infrastructure, and the need for skilled and dedicated staff and field personnel.

James Maposa, founder of the South African-based research and advisory services firm Birguid, served as a consultant to present a review of the Electricity Supply Industry's performance management framework. "There also needs to be consensus on what the performance areas are, what the performance indicators are, and what the benchmarks will be to transition us from cost regulations to performance regulations. Additionally, the third pillar suggests that infrastructure systems need to be established to ensure effective performance management."

In the future, the ECB aims to improve various frameworks, such as enhancing productivity and efficiency and addressing non-compliance in sector governance.

-

Category

Author
Keshia Damases