ECOWAS FEASIBILITY STUDY ON BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN CHANGING ENERGY VALUE CHAIN IN WEST AFRICA
Praia, 3/March/2017 – With a total budget of 1,050,000 USD, ECREEE in partnership with AfDB and NEPAD, is launching a regional project on Feasibility Study on Business Opportunities for women in a Changing the Energy Value Chain in West Africa, where 16 women-led energy businesses from 4 different ECOWAS Member States will be identified for potential financing.
The ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Infrastructure Project Preparatory Facility (IPPF), is organizing a 4-day workshop, at ECREEE's headquarters, which will culminate on March 3rd, with the launch of the regional project on Feasibility Study on Business Opportunities for Women in a Changing Energy Value Chain in West Africa.
The project was developed against the background that women’s potential in the ECOWAS region, as producers and suppliers of energy services is underutilized. Therefore, it is crucial to empower women to make significant contributions to the implementation of the regional policies on renewable energy and energy efficiency and the achievement of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) goals in West Africa. The goal is to move towards a more efficient energy production, distribution and consumption.
This project seeks to contribute to the advancement of gender equality and women's economic empowerment, by empowering woman-led businesses to invest in the energy sector in the region by harnessing opportunities to provide goods and services in the context of a regional transition to sustainable energy technologies.
With a total budget of One Million and Fifty Thousand US Dollars, the project will contribute to the overall objective of ensuring that the region meets its goal of universal access for its over 300 million inhabitants by developing a gender-responsive, regional energy market investment strategy that taps into the entrepreneurial capacity of ECOWAS women.
