ECOWAS officially launches the ROGEAP project activities in Liberia and Mauritania.

ECOWAS has officially launched the activities of its Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP) in Liberia and Mauritania.

Stakeholders in the renewable energy sector from Liberia and Mauritania took part in the official launch of the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP). The launches took place on Thursday 8 June in Monrovia, Liberia, and on Monday 12 June in Nouakchott, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, attended by experts from the ministries responsible for energy, as well as stakeholders from the private and public sectors – including civil society organisations, NGOs, the media and commercial banks – from Liberia and Mauritania.

The aim of these two national workshops is to present the ROGEAP project to the relevant stakeholders, to raise awareness of off-grid solar PV technologies, and to establish a regulatory framework conducive to the development of the off-grid solar PV market in Liberia and Mauritania.

In Monrovia, the workshop to launch the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP) in Liberia was opened by Mr Kelvin GRUGBAYE, Director of Energy Efficiency and Environment, representing the Liberian Minister of Mines and Energy, in the presence of Her Excellency Mrs Joséphine NKRUMAH, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Liberia, the World Bank Representative in Liberia and Mr Arnaud KOUADIO BA, ROGEAP Monitoring and Evaluation Expert, representing ECOWAS Commissioner Sédiko Douka, who is responsible for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation. Arnaud KOUADIO BA, ROGEAP Monitoring and Evaluation Expert, representing Commissioner Sédiko Douka, who is responsible for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation at ECOWAS.

In Nouakchott, the workshop in Mauritania was chaired by Mr Ahmed Salem BOUHEDA, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Petroleum, Mines and Energy, in the presence of Mr Elhadji SYLLA, Senior Adviser to ROGEAP, representing the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, Sédiko Douka.

ROGEAP is implemented by the ECOWAS Commission and the West African Development Bank (BOAD). Its aim is to increase access to sustainable electricity services in the 15 ECOWAS member states and four other African countries (Mauritania, the Central African Republic, Chad and Cameroon) for households, commercial enterprises and public health and education infrastructure, using solar systems. The USD 338.7 million project is funded by the World Bank, the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and the Dutch Ministry for Development Cooperation (DGIS).