The ECOWAS Center for Renewable and Energy Efficiency (ECREE) has reiterated its commitment to ensuring sustainable energy across the region by 2030.
The Executive Director of the centre, Mr. Francis Simpore, made the pledge in an interview with journalists at the closing ceremony of the seventh edition of ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF) 2022 in Abuja, Nigeria.
Mr. Simpore, said the agency aims to achieve this by bringing together relevant stakeholders in the energy sector to discuss and proffer solutions to the energy challenges in member states.
“Our strategic objective is to integrate the operation of the Community’s national power grids into a unified regional electricity market to ensure a stable, regular and reliable supply of competitively priced electricity to the citizens of the ECOWAS member States in the medium term.
“The ECOWAS Commission specialised energy agency together with key stakeholders like ministry of power among others are working tirelessly to address challenges of power.
“We plan to achieve this objective by promoting and developing power generation and transmission facilities and equipment and coordinating electricity trade among the ECOWAS member states.”
“The ECREE is also working on improving energy access for the ECOWAS rural population and actively promoting the deployment of off-grid energy solutions, such as clean energy mini-grids and stand-alone technologies.
“We aim to have an access consolidated rate of 70 per cent by 2030,” Simpore said.
Mr. Simpore also added that ESEF has fostered concrete progress in the attainment of the ECOWAS region’s sustainable energy targets.
“By providing a platform for networking and improving the policy and regulatory landscape for private sector investment through engagement between ECOWAS policy makers, regional and international private sector players, and financial institutions,” he said.
The Nigerian Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, in his closing remarks expressed his appreciation to the ECOWAS commission for hosting ESEF in Nigeria, while noting that the importance of energy to human development cannot be over-emphasised.
“We all know that energy plays a key role in nation building and development. This forum has provided opportunity for investors to come and know the potential of Nigeria and tap into it so that there will be a win win situation for them and us to grow the energy sector.”
On his part, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy, Cape Verde, Alexandre Monteiro, appreciated ECREE for the privilege to host the eight edition of ESEF and Nigeria for its hospitality.
“I want to thank ECREE for organizing this forum for its member states to provide solutions to the long standing challenges of energy in West Africa. We learnt and discussed a lot to take home and work with it for a sustainable energy in our country’s energy sector.
“We are also happy to host the next edition of ESEF in Cape Verde and we also promise a warm reception because hospitality is part of what we stand for,” he assured.
The 7th Edition of the Forum (ESEF2022) by ECREEE which ended in Abuja, Nigeria was organized in partnership with the Nigerian Ministry of Power.
