ECREEE Regional Workshop Adopts Road Map for a Regional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Access Programme

The Regional Workshop on “Accelerating Universal Energy Access Through the Use of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency” from 24 to 26 October 2011, at Mensvic Hotel, Accra, Ghana. The workshop was jointly organized by the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Ghana.

More than 130 energy experts and public officials from the ECOWAS region discussed and adopted a road map for a pro-active regional renewable energy and energy efficiency access programme. The programme will boost universal access to modern, reliable and affordable energy services in rural and peri-urban areas in ECOWAS by 2030. The initiative contributes to the objectives of the ECOWAS White Paper on Energy Access in Peri-Urban and Rural Areas and the UN Goals for Universal Energy Access by 2030.

Dr. Johnson Boanuh, ECOWAS Director of Environmentand representing the President of the ECOWAS Commission, expressed his appreciation to the Government of Ghana for hosting such an important workshop. He also expressed his profound gratitude to the partners, notably UNIDO, UNDP, Austria, Spain, the European Commission and USAID for supporting the integration activities of ECOWAS and ECREEE. He stressed that the workshop will afford another unique opportunity to reflect on ways of finding lasting solutions to the energy challenges currently plaguing the ECOWAS region.

Mr. Mahama Kappiah, Executive Director of ECREEE, called for urgent actions to provide access to electricity and modern cooking fuels in the rural areas of ECOWAS. He highlighted the crucial role of decentralized clean energy solutions and mini-grids for rural income generation, education, health care, agricultural activities, job creation and household energy. He also emphasized the market opportunities for the private sector in rural areas where only 8% of the population has access to modern energy services.

Mr. Aboubacar Oualy, Coordinator a.i.of the Regional Energy Programme of UNDP for Poverty Reduction expressed his appreciationto the Government of Ghana for hosting this important workshop. He highlighted the progress achieved so far in the implementation of the ECOWAS White Paper on Energy Access in Peri-Urban and Rural Areas. He highlighted the solid partnership with ECOWAS and the leading role of UNDP in the implementation of the White Paper. He also reaffirmed the commitment of UNDP to contribute to the global agenda on access to energy services and the 2012 Year on Sustainable Energy for All.

Mr. Akmel Prosper Akpa, Senior Adviser to the Director-General of UNIDO, expressed his sincere gratitude to ECOWAS for showing leadership in promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. He explained that with the creation of ECREEE the first regional renewable energy promotion agency of Sub Sahara Africa is fully operational. He assured the continued support of UNIDO to ECREEE and announced support for the establishment of similar Centers in East and Southern Africa.

The workshop also featured the launch of three flagship projects of ECREEE:

• The “Supporting Energy Efficiency project for Access in West Africa (SEEA-WA)”  supported by the European Commission
• The ECOWAS Regional Policy on Renewable Energy supported by the Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme
• The ECOWAS Regional Wind and Solar Assessment supported by the USAID

Further information on the workshop is available at: http://energy4all.ecreee.org