27 Apr 2021

The Biden-Harris administration has announced the signing of a historic Memorandum of Intent (MOI) to create a two to five gigawatt Mega Solar project in Botswana and Namibia.

The announcement was made at the Leaders’ Summit on Climate, which concluded on April.

A media release from the US Embassy in Gaborone, dated April 26, 2021, says the United States Government was collaborating with the governments of Botswana and Namibia, the African Development Bank, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the International Finance Corporation to make the mega solar project a reality.

It says the revolutionary project has the potential to bring renewable solar power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in Botswana in the next two decades.  

“The Mega Solar project could transform Botswana from a net importer and consumer of unreliable coal power to a significant producer and exporter of renewable solar power, while also reducing Botswana’s carbon footprint,” the media release said.  

“We are thrilled to see this Mega Solar signing ceremony take place.  It is an important step towards our collective dream of a scalable cross-border solar project, a concept first discussed in April 2019,” it quotes the US Ambassador, Craig Cloud as saying.

It also quotes him as saying they were also excited to be working with Botswana and Namibia to expand renewable energy production and enhance energy security, while addressing climate concerns.   

Ambassador Cloud is recorded as also saying all must do more to bend the curve on global emissions and limit the rise of global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, adding that ‘the cost of inaction for our health, our economies, and future generations is too high’.  

“The next decade will be decisive, and the steps countries take this year to set the world up for success will make all the difference,” he reportedly said.

He is quoted as saying the Mega Solar project marks an important step in Botswana’s efforts to fight climate change, adding that ‘to protect livelihoods around the world and mitigate global warming, we must all get on the right path now’.  

“The countries that take decisive action now to create the industries of the future will be the ones that reap the economic benefits of the clean energy revolution.  

Botswana has taken a bold step towards energy and climate security for its people”. ENDS