News

The International Centre for Science and High Technology (ICS) of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (ICS-UNIDO) organized a workshop on ‘Renewable Energy Technologies for Productive Uses in West Africa’, in Trieste, Italy, from 17–19 April 2012. The workshop sought to facilitate the sharing of scientific knowledge and technological know-how on the use of renewable energy technologies for productive uses aimed at enhancing productive activities and increasing competitiveness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in rural on/off-grid areas in West Africa.
 

 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.