Press release: Raising awareness of solar standards in The Gambia and Mali
REGIONAL OFF-GRID ELECTRICITY ACCESS PROJECT
(ROGEAP)
ROGEAP raises awareness, educates and trains key stakeholders on regional standards for off-grid solar systems with a capacity of 350 Wp or less (ECOSTAND IEC TS 62257-9- 8:2020 and ECOSTAND IEC TS 62257-9-5:2018) in Banjul on 16 and 17 September 2025 and in Bamako on 23 and 24 September 2025.
The Gambian capital, Banjul, hosted a national workshop organised by ROGEAP on the implementation of regional standards for off-grid solar photovoltaic systems, from 16 to 17 September 2025, whilst the Malian capital, Bamako, from 23 to 24 September 2025.
The opening ceremony took place in the presence of:
- Mr Kemo Cessay, Director of Energy, representing the Gambian Minister for Petroleum, Energy and Mines; Mr Papa Secka, Director-General of the Gambian Bureau of Standardisation, and Ms Miata French, ECOWAS’ Permanent Representative in The Gambia.
- Mr Bakary Sacko, Vice-President of the Malian Federation for Electricity, Renewable and New Energies (FENEM), and Mr El Hadji Sylla, Senior Adviser at ROGEAP.
During these two workshops, each lasting two days, around fifty people took part in the two capital cities; they came from the public sector (senior officials from the Ministries of Energy, finance and trade, rural electrification agencies, renewable energy organisations and standardisation bodies), the private sector and civil society, amongst others.
By the end of this awareness-raising and capacity-building workshop, participants should have a good understanding of the quality standards for off-grid solar products (ECOSTAND IEC TS 62257-9-5 and ECOSTAND IEC TS 62257-9-8);
They also familiarised themselves with the definitions, international quality standards and testing methods for off-grid solar products and systems;
Finally, they will be able to provide accurate information to other relevant stakeholders about the two adopted standards and raise awareness amongst the general public.
As a reminder, the ECOWAS Commission, through the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP), is supporting the 19 countries involved in the project to increase the rate of access to electricity for households, businesses and public institutions through modern off-grid solar systems, using a harmonised regional approach.
ROGEAP is a project funded by the World Bank, the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and the Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS), and implemented by the ECOWAS Commission through the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation and the BOAD.
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For further information, please contact
Communications Directorate, Commission of the ECOWAS
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