The Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization of Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS), Sediko Douka has disclosed that 50% of Africans have access to electricity, but less than 10% are accessible to those in the rural areas.
Douka disclosed this at the 7th Edition of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF2022) in Abuja.
The ESEF2022 opened with a High-Level opening ceremony featuring ECOWAS leaders, and international partners reaffirming their commitment to improving energy access for all and setting a path for the energy transition in the West African region.
The theme of the event is: Achieving Sustainable Energy Targets in the ECOWAS Region: Moving from Resilience to Transition” which aims to catalyze public and private partnerships, contribute towards the creation of an enabling policy and regulatory environment, and the mobilization of new investments in the ECOWAS region’s sustainable energy sector.
Speaking further, Douka revealed that ECOWAS is working hard to integrate all communities into the grid, noting that: “By next year we will have an electricity market where contractors can buy electricity.”
He further added, “We are developing a new energy policy for the region that will be operational by June next year.”
Similarly, Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, said, “Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan is a prime example of the needed evolution of policies to deliver both the growth in energy consumption necessary for the development and the climate response required for the preservation of our planet.”
He noted that “The importance of energy to human development cannot be over-emphasized. Its relevance extends beyond socio-economic development to include security and sovereignty, foreign policy as well as international trade.
Also, the Ambassador of Spain to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ECOWAS, Juan Ignacio Sell, in his speech, stated “This gathering affords member countries to share ideas and create awareness on our quest to achieve the SDGs in West Africa.”
He, however, lamented that “We are failing short of the target we set for renewable and green energy,” insisting that “Energy poverty and energy security needs to be addressed.”
He reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to assist the region in infrastructure and capacity building.
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