News

 ECREEE and UNIDO are currently implementing the regional GEF project ‘Promoting Coordination, Coherence and Knowledge Management under the Energy Component of the Strategic Programme for West Africa (SPWA)’. The project is co-funded by the Austrian Ministry for European and International Affairs and AECID.To boost knowledge management, networking and advocacy in the areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency, the GEF project foresees the establishment of ECOWREX. The web-based observatory will be managed and updated by the ECREEE Secretariat.

 The Technical Committee of the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Facility (EREF) for rural and peri-urban areas approved 41 projects with an overall volume of €3m. The facility, which is managed by ECREEE with technical assistance from UNIDO, will co-fund the selected projects with a €1m from the Spanish Agency for International Development (AECID) and the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC).Mr. Mahama Kappiah, ED of ECREEE, stressed the social and economic relevance of the EREF projects.

The ECREEE Rio+20 Side Event ‘Towards Universal Access to Sustainable Energy Services in West Africa’ took place on 17 June 2012. The side event brought together the major partners and beneficiaries of the implementation process of the adopted the ECOWAS/UEMOA Regional White Paper on Access to Energy Services for Populations in Rural and Peri-urban Areas. It featured the participation of high level representatives of ECOWAS, the United Nations (UNIDO, UNDP) and the European Union (Austria, Spain, European Commission).