Academy for Educational Development

SARI/Energy was a multifaceted initiative to foster regional cooperation on key energy issues such as investment and trade of energy resources and the promotion of regional policies. AED, with its partners IRG and PA Consulting, implemented the training and capacity-building component to build local capacity in four technical areas: regional grid and energy exchange; legal, policy, and regulatory frameworks; regulation and regulatory bodies; and energy efficiency. AED developed and delivered more than 25 training courses and four distance learning courses and trained more than 700 participants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Participants came from Ministries, other government agencies, power companies, the media, the private sector, and NGOs. AED’s training has brought energy sector leaders, professionals, and other stakeholders in the region together to learn, teach, and share experiences and best practices in environments that foster greater communication and understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and benefits of regional cooperation on energy issues.

AED also managed the training component of the SARI/Energy web site an important tool for informing and networking project participants, training alumni, and other interested energy professionals and stakeholders in South Asia. In 2003, the web site added an energy information tool kit developed for the media to help improve their reporting on regional energy issues.