BY MFANUFIKILE KHATHWANE
EZULWINI– Eswatini is set to welcome more than 800 delegates from all 16 Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states when it hosts the 2027 SADC Sustainable Energy Week (SADC SEW), positioning the Kingdom as the region’s focal point for discussions on energy investment, security and the transition to clean energy.
The five-day conference will be held at the Ezulwini Palazzo International Convention Centre (ICC) from March 15 to 19, 2027, under the theme, “Unlocking Investment for Sustainable Energy, Energy Access and Energy Security in the SADC Region.”
The event was officially launched on July 8,2026 at Happy Valley Hotel by the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, His Royal Highness Prince Lonkhokhela.
Prince Lonkhokhela said hosting the regional event reflected growing confidence in Eswatini’s commitment to sustainable energy development and regional cooperation.
He said the conference would mobilise investment into priority sustainable energy projects, promote an inclusive and just energy transition, strengthen regional energy integration and accelerate the adoption of energy-efficient technologies across Southern Africa.
“Access to reliable energy is not merely a developmental objective. It is the foundation upon which regional prosperity is built,” said the minister.
He said stronger regional cooperation was essential to improve energy security and ensure affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity supplies for citizens and industries throughout the SADC region.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Henrik Franklin said clean energy represented one of the greatest opportunities for economic transformation in Southern Africa.
He said the region faced the combined challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution while at the same time needing to create decent jobs, especially for young people.
Franklin said UNDP viewed the energy transition as more than an environmental agenda, describing it as a driver of industrialisation, economic resilience and sustainable livelihoods.
He said UNDP was partnering with the Government of Eswatini to expand renewable energy access, improve energy efficiency, promote sustainable finance and support the growth of green industries.
Franklin added that affordable clean energy would enable micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to lower operating costs, improve competitiveness and create more employment opportunities.
He also said regional platforms such as the SADC Sustainable Energy Week were important for sharing knowledge, strengthening partnerships and identifying practical solutions that could be replicated across Southern Africa.
During the launch, delegates heard that the 2027 conference would focus on attracting investment into strategic energy infrastructure, expanding access to electricity, improving energy security and accelerating regional integration.
Among the key challenges identified were the continued dependence on biomass and charcoal as the main cooking fuels in many SADC countries and the absence of critical electricity interconnectors, which limits the sharing of surplus power between member states.
The conference is expected to produce stronger regional partnerships and investment commitments aimed at accelerating sustainable energy development across the SADC region.
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