Strengthening the Partnership between ECCAS and the Government of Austria

Vienna, Austria, 10 April 2026 - In the margins of the Vienna International Forum on Energy and Climate, the Director General for International Partnerships and Humanitarian Aid within the Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, Ambassador Peter Huber, received in audience, this Thursday, 9 April 2026, the Chairman of the Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), His Excellency Ambassador Dr Ezekiel Nibigira.

On this occasion, while welcoming the initiatives of the Government of Austria to develop renewable energy internationally, the Chairman of the ECCAS Commission expressed his deep gratitude to the Government of Austria for the multifaceted support for the establishment of the Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Central Africa (CEREEAC), a specialized agency of ECCAS, in particular through the financing of the project for the first operational phase of the Centre.

To this end, he expressed the wish that the Austrian Government should remain a privileged partner of CEREEAC, in order to benefit from its expertise in the development of decentralized energy systems integrated with interconnected infrastructures, with a view to developing three priority projects for major energy infrastructure, integrated into economic corridors.

The two personalities also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening this collaboration, including through the support of the Austrian Government in the implementation of the CEREEAC Strategic Affairs Plan, covering the period 2024-2030, structured around six priority programmes. They also agreed to work towards establishing a formal framework for cooperation between ECCAS and the Republic of Austria, with a view to better structuring the joint areas of intervention.

Following the meeting, the Chairman of the ECCAS Commission expressed his intention to invite the Government of Austria to participate in the First Central African Renewable Energy Forum, scheduled for the first quarter of 2027 in Luanda, Angola.

The Chairman of the Commission was accompanied by, among others, the Commissioner in charge of the Department of Regional Planning and Infrastructure, Dr Maurice NIATY-MOUUMBA, the Director of Energy, Mr Desiré Armand NDEMAZAGOA BACKOTTA, and the Acting Director in charge of Communication, Public Relations and Protocol Ms Isabelle BOUKINDA NZAOU.

Ambassador Peter Huber was accompanied by Mr Klaus Steiner, Director of Department VII.2 in charge of thematic issues and financing for development.