With a population of 406 million people living in West Africa and the Sahel regions, It is estimated that 208 million do not have direct access to electricity.
The total number of 208 million comprise 70% of persons living in rural areas of the sub region.
For the strategic necessity of energy in achieving sustainable development and poverty reduction in the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS) and the Sahel regions, the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Efficiency ( ECREEE) in partnership with the West African Development Bank launched the Regional Off-Grid Electrification Project ( ROGEP).
It was in a bid to increase access to electricity for households, businesses, and public institutions using modern, stand-alone solar technology through a harmonized regional approach.
Elhadji Sylla, Coordinator of Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project, said the project aims at increasing electricity access in rural areas of west africa.
In an address at the opening ceremony of a regional capacity building workshop for experts in member states on solar off-grid at the MJ Grand hotel in Accra on 9th May 2023, Mr.Elhadji Sylla said the “project aims to increase electricity access in the rural areas by promoting solar off-grid products and today we are in Accra, Ghana as part of activities to build the capacity of standard experts and for rural electrification and ministry of energy experts.”
Mr. Elhadji Sylla further said the reason for the workshop taking place here in Accra is to ensure that ECOWAS sub-region has quality products on the market.
He noted that the project when implemented will create jobs for the youth in the ECOWAS sub-region.
To him the project is framed in the ECOWAS programme on access to sustainable electricity services, directly contributing to the goals of the ECOWAS Regional Renewable Energy Policy ( EREP) with a target to provide universal access to electricity to the region by
2030.
He further said an amount of US$338.70 million budget has been pegged for Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP)…
Story by Bugbila Moadow.
