The Regional Off-grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP) Journalists’ Network is gearing up for its second regional information and sensitization workshop, slated for March 13 to 14, 2024, in Lome, Togo.
Funded by the World Bank, the Clean Technology Fund and the Netherlands Government’s Directorate for International Cooperation, ROGEAP is a critical component of the ECOWAS program on access to sustainable electricity services. It directly contributes to the objectives outlined in the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy, aiming to achieve universal access to electricity in the region by 2030. The project focuses on establishing a regional market for off-grid solar PV systems and facilitating private sector access to financing for off-grid solar PV products.
The upcoming workshop in Lome aims to provide members of the network with updates on the project’s activities since its inception. The event will be presided over by the ECOWAS commissioner for infrastructure, energy, and digitalisation, Sediko Douka.
With an estimated 208 million out of 406 million people in West Africa and the Sahel region lacking access to electricity, particularly in rural areas, the two-day workshop will unite members from the 19 member states of the ROGEAP Journalists’ Network. Discussions will revolve around the role, missions, activities, and intervention mechanisms of the project fund manager (PFM) in the member states. Additionally, participants will delve into the functions of the West African Development Bank in member states. The workshop aims to finalise a document outlining a robust collaborative mechanism between the ROGEAP Journalists’ Network and ROGEAP implementation partners.
ROGEAP, initiated by ECOWAS in partnership with the West African Development Bank (WADB), officially commenced activities in April 2022. The project, launched at a regional level in October 2023 in Praia, Cabo Verde, has the overarching goal of enhancing easy access to electricity in the ECOWAS and Sahel regions through modern, stand-alone solar technology, employing a harmonised regional approach.
