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ECOWAS MPs adopt renewable solution to regional energy crisis – EnviroNews
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The ECOWAS Parliament has adopted a report with key resolutions and recommendations for the deployment of accelerated renewable energy initiatives to curb West Africa’s energy crisis and enhance rural development.
The decision was taken by the parliament’s Joint Committee on Energy and Mines, Infrastructure, and Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources at the end of a week-long delocalised meeting in Dakar, Senegal.
The event is themed: “Harnessing Renewable Energy for Rural Electrification and the Revitalisation of Rural Economies in the ECOWAS Region: The Role of the ECOWAS Parliament.”
The report was unanimously adopted alongside a set of resolutions and recommendations designed to enhance universal access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy in rural communities across the sub-region.
The regional lawmakers adopted the deployment of decentralised energy initiatives, such as mini-grids and off-grid systems, harmonised regulatory frameworks, strengthened innovative financing mechanisms, and increased parliamentary oversight of energy projects.
They also adopted promoting quality renewable energy equipment, expand access to financing electricity, strengthen youth capacity through technical training, and mainstream gender considerations to ensure women benefit fully from these initiatives.
The Committee also solicited stronger regional coordination mechanisms, increased support for the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), and enhanced consultation with parliament toward implementing and monitoring the projects.
It also adopted immediate action to address the financial challenges facing the West African Power Pool (WAPP), an ECOWAS flagship initiative for electrifying the sub-region with power network.
The MPs also gave assurance that regional energy projects involving countries of the Alliance of Sahel States would continue in line with existing contractual commitments.
MP Fanta Conte, the Joint Committee Chairperson, said that rural electrification should serve as a catalyst for economic transformation, job creation, agriculture, and the empowerment of women and youth.
“The recommendations adopted in Dakar provide a clear roadmap for accelerating the energy transition and achieving universal access to electricity across West Africa,” she said.
She urged the lawmakers to deploy their legislative, oversight and advocacy roles to support the implementation of regional energy policies and mobilise the political will needed to unlock investments in renewable energy.
According to her, the future of West Africa’s rural economies depends on member states’ ability to harness their abundant renewable energy resources and transform them into engines of sustainable development and regional integration.
The Parliamentarians committed to collaboratively work toward achieving the ECOWAS Vision 2050, which aims to ensure universal access to electricity in the sub-region, especially among its rural communities.
By Mark Longyen