JODI Energy Data Transparency Workshop for Sustainable Future

Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI) Energy Data Transparency Workshop Sustainable Future was held on 30 April-3 May 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. Some 60 attendees from 14 countries and energy data experts from both public and private sectors took part of the workshop. The workshop was held with the support of JODI partner organisations under the auspices of HE, Jeff Radebe MP, Minister of Energy of South Africa.

The aim of this four-day workshop was to provide energy experts and statisticians in Africa comprehensive picture of energy data compilation activities necessary to ensure sustainable energy for all. Technical linkage between annual and monthly data collections were explained alongside differences in benefit and focuses of these two energy data collection activities from policy making standing point. With such objective in mind, the Workshop featured the JODI (Oil and Gas) monthly data collection, annual energy statistics and balances compilation as well as principles of energy efficiency indicators. Energy data transparency in Africa provided improved understanding of their energy system, challenges and opportunities to enable better policy and investment decision making.

The workshop covered the following topics:

• The background, objectives, and status of JODI;
• Impact of reliable data to policy and investment decision-making from data-user perspective;
• Definitions and methodologies to complete the JODI (Oil and Gas) questionnaires;
• Exchanges of good practices to collect/compile energy data among countries and participants;
• Data quality assessment techniques and practical exercises to complete JODI (Oil and Gas) questionnaires as well as annual questionnaires;
• Role of effective data dissemination to improve data visibility with practical examples through JODI website;
• Linkage between monthly and annual energy data collection activities and their different policy objectives;
• Annual energy statistics and balances compilation;
• Principles of energy efficiency indicators.

In addition, the Workshop run concurrently with the 4th IEF-OFID Symposium of Energy Poverty at the same venue. The workshop attendees benefited from both events to link the need of energy data to decision making and alleviating energy poverty from Africa.

Opening Session

• Importance of Energy Data Transparency – the role of JODI
  Fuad Al Zayer, IEF
  
• Role of Energy Data for the Sustainable Development in Africa
  Rashid Ali Abdallah, AFREC

Session 1: JODI – Process and Benefits

• Why Data Transparency is Essential for Energy Market Research? — Better Data - Better Decisions
  Dapo Odulaja, Head of Data Services Department, OPEC
• Data Transparency to Understand Natural Gas Market Fundamental toward Foresighted Policy and Investment Decisions
  Mona Shokripour, Energy Statistician, GECF
• Benefits of Energy Data Transparency for National Administration
  Thabang Audat, Chief Director: Energy Planning, Department of Energy, South Africa
  
• Key features that differentiate JODI: how JODI data are collected and processed
  Erica Robin, Head of Oil and Gas Statistics Section, Energy Data Center, IEA

Session 2: Increasing Data Transparency across All Energy Data Collection

• IRES and the Importance of Good Cooperation at Country Level
  Agnieszka Koscielniak, Energy Statistics, United Nations Statistics Division
  
• Energy data for policy making: Benefits and focus for short and long-term
  Erica Robin, IEA
• Energy Statistics: the Fundamentals – Presentation and Discussion
  Erica Robin, IEA
• Annual and Monthly Data relationship – the IEA example
  Erica Robin, IEA
• From Basic Statistics to Energy Balances and beyond (eg Energy Efficiency) – Presentation and Discussion
  Agnieszka Koscielniak, UNSD

Session 3: Theoretical lectures and hands on exercises with aim to improve JODI and Annual Questionnaires completion

• JODI Oil and JODI Gas questionnaire - theory and practice
  Agnieszka Koscielniak, UNSD
• What we can learn from an energy balance? - theory and practice
  Agnieszka Koscielniak, UNSD