The first International Fair on Environment and Renewable Energy (FIAER 2016) emerged as an innovative and pioneering event in Cabo Verde and its purpose was to drive forward the Renewable Energy sector. In Cabo Verde, the sector is considered to be a strategic pillar to substantially reduce external dependence through the production of clean and environmentally friendly energy for the construction of “a dynamic, competitive, innovative and sustainable economy, and of prosperity shared with all”.
The situation should not be different in the other ECOWAS Member States, where household access to electricity services is only around 20% and has one of the lowest energy consumption rates in the world. However, the region possesses tremendous potential in terms of solar, wind, hydropower, tidal and bioenergy potential that are not yet explored.
Against this background, FIAER was organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Sotavento (Cabo Verde), in collaboration with the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in order to showcase and create favorable conditions for investments in renewable energy not only in Cabo Verde, but in the entire West African sub-region.
In his opening remarks, H.E. José Maria Neves, Prime-Minister of Cabo Verde commended the initiative and the organization of such fair, stating that it is “very important to think about the future, which necessarily implies thinking about power for our world with green sources of energy, and demonstrate strong commitment with the deliberations and agreements reached at the 2015 COP21 in Paris. ”Mr. Neves reiterated how committed Cabo Verde is in fostering the renewable energy sector through the investments made along the years and also mentioned about the gains Cabo Verde can have, by hosting the headquarters ECREEE. The Head of Government also stated that Centre is strategically located and can play a major role in promoting renewable energy.
The International Fair on Environment and Renewable Energy brought together around 45 national and international exhibitors.
