Inauguration of Canon Goddy as the Executive Director, EACREEE

On the 23rd of May, EACREEE held a Board of Directors meeting in Nairobi, Kenya which Members from various partner States in the East African region attended. The meeting was intended to review the Institutionalisation of the Centre at the EAC and the inauguration of the Interim Executive Director as the Substantive Executive Director. The East African Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Efficiency was established by the East African Community to promote renewable Energy and energy efficiency in the region.

In his remarks, the Executive Director of the Centre, Canon Goddy Muhanguzi thanked the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development for the support offered to the EACREEE Team, the Board Members for the trust bestowed on him to steer EACREEE as the Executive Director where he requested for their continued support because EACREEE institutionalisation into an EAC institution is a big task and pledged to do his best to meet their expectations. The newly appointed ED has served as Interim Executive Director since October 2021 and has played a part in the establishment of the Centre. He enlightened that the Centre recruited more staff with an emphasis on striking a balance among the Partner States however the statutory deductions deterred some members from joining. Canon Goddy applauded the EAC for offering EACREEE space in the pavilion of the East African Community during the upcoming COP29 stating it’s a fundamental step towards marketing the EAC and all its institutions.

With a Call for the Centre to participate in National, Regional and Global Conferences, the ED updated the members on key conferences EACREEE intends to take part, highlighting the Renewable Energy Conference and Energy Efficiency and Electric Mobility Conferences organised in Uganda as good targets for the Centre, the Energy Efficiency Conference in URT by UNDP. He added that EACREEE acquired accreditation from the United Nations to organise a side event at the Conference in Rwanda to Launch the 10-year United Nations Programme Actions for Landlocked Least Developed Countries to extend the energy transition Agenda in these countries. On the international level, he mentioned the Annual Global Network for Sustainable Energy Centres Conference spearheaded by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization which is set for November in Botswana, the Conference of Parties (COP29) and more to come to accelerate EACREEE participation and activities at all levels