ECOWAS-GFSE-GEF-UNIDO HIGH LEVEL ENERGY FORUM

ECREEE, the Global Forum for Sustainable Energy (GSFE), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)  jointly organized a High Level Energy Forum Towards Sustainable Energy for All in West Africa, themed “Paving the Way for Sustainable Energy for All in West Africa through Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency” from 29–31 October 2012, in Accra, Ghana. The event was hosted by the Government of Ghana and took place as part of the UN Sustainable Energy For All (SE4ALL) Initiative, which aims, by 2030, to: ensure universal access to modern energy services; double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix; and double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.

The forum brought together 323 participants, including energy and environment ministers, leaders of international organizations, diplomats, and other high-level actors to facilitate the establishment of a regional implementation framework for the SE4ALL Initiative in the ECOWAS region. The main outcomes of the meeting included the adoption by ECOWAS energy ministers of resolutions on the: ECOWAS Policy on Renewable Energy; ECOWAS Policy on Energy Efficiency; ECOWAS Small Hydro Power Program; and the ECOWAS Bioenergy Strategy Framework.