English
Français 
Português 
You will recall the launch of the activities of the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE/CEREEC) on July 6, 2010, with the support of partners including Spanish cooperation, Austrian cooperation, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). I had the privilege of expressing ECREEE’s gratitude to His Excellency Jose Maria Neves, President of the Republic of Cabo Verde, for his unwavering commitment to promoting sustainable energy in West Africa, as he himself had launched the Agency’s activities in 2010 in his capacity as Prime Minister of Cabo Verde. In 2016, six years later, ECREEE organized the first edition of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF 2016) in Dakar.
It is therefore an honor for me to address you on the occasion of the 10th edition of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF 2025), which is part of the celebration of ECREEE’s 15th anniversary and ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary.
On behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, I would like to first address His Excellency Mr. Adama Barrow, President of the Republic, the Vice President, the Authorities, and the People of The Gambia for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to all ESEF 2025 participants. I would like to give special mention to His Honorable Nani Juwara, Minister of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of The Gambia, for his leadership and constant support in promoting sustainable energy. My thanks also go to his entire team and to all those involved in the preparation of ESEF 2025 for their excellent collaboration and commitment.
Your Excellency the Vice President, Honorable Member of Parliament, Vice President of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Energy and Mines Committee, Ministers, Partners and Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Colleagues, Participants, after 15 years of continuous effort, it is important to highlight the significant progress made in the field of sustainable energy in West Africa. For example, the installed capacity of grid-connected solar photovoltaic power plants has increased from 5 MW in 2010 to nearly 1 GW in 2025 in West Africa, with a projection of more than 5 GW in 2030. ECREEE is proud to have driven this momentum through Regional Sustainable Energy Policies and related National Action Plans in Member States. This has resulted in the construction of major infrastructure with a strong socio-economic impact for rural and urban populations and to support the competitiveness of businesses. It is important to highlight other achievements, such as the deployment of mini clean energy networks in rural and peri-urban areas and the consolidation of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Skills Certification System, which is essential to guarantee the quality and sustainability of infrastructure. However, there are still significant challenges to be addressed in the field of sustainable energy, namely the weakness of the technology transfer and local content components in project design and implementation, the low rate of access to clean cooking, and the delay in the effective implementation of energy efficiency action plans. Moreover, the effort undertaken is part of a vision anchored in ECREEE’s Strategic Plan 2023-2027, which is based on ECOWAS’ Vision 2050 and the ECOWAS Management’s 4×4 Objectives. ECREEE will continue its mission to promote and develop renewable energy and energy efficiency in order to achieve sustainable energy for all by 2030.
To date, ECREEE has mobilized significant resources from its partners in addition to the budget allocated by the ECOWAS Commission for the implementation of structural projects for all Member States. New resources are also being mobilized, and I would like to mention, for example, the commitment made by the Director of AECID for significant additional support during his visit to ECREEE’s premises in Praia on July 9, 2025. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the partners who support ECREEE and who have supported ESEF 2025. I would like to mention AECID, GIZ, UNIDO, the African Development Bank, the World Bank through the ROGEAP project, WASCAL, the European Union, the International Development Research Centre of Canada, the UNDP, and the International Institute of Refrigeration through the SOPHIA project. I am pleased to note the presence of all the partners at ESEF 2025, which demonstrates the confidence placed in ECREEE.
Dear National Focal Points, thank you for your commitment to ECREEE in implementing projects at the Member State level. Your support is crucial to the success of the projects and their alignment with the needs of your respective countries. Today, we are working with you to develop a Master Plan for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Infrastructure, draft a Regional Policy on Electric Mobility, and implement the EELA Project dedicated to promoting Efficient Equipment and Appliances in West Africa.
The theme of this forum, “Accelerating Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Solutions for Growth in the ECOWAS Region,” perfectly illustrates the aforementioned projects.
Dear ESEF 2025 participants, there are around 500 participants here today from all walks of life in this impressive conference room. We have noted strong participation from West Africa, but also from across Africa and other parts of the world (Europe, Asia). Our diversity is our strength, and sharing experiences will be at the heart of our discussions. Some of you have already participated in the pre-events that took place from September 15 to 17, 2025, in Banjul on various topics: the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Skills Certification System with a focus on clean energy mini-grids supported by the AfDB Group through the DtP initiative, solar standards within the framework of the ROGEAP Project financed by the World Bank, Energy Efficiency through EELA 2.0 supported by SIDA and UNIDO, Clean Cooking within the framework of the ReCCAWA Project supported by the EU, AECID, and RVO, as well as RD projects financed by the EU through several initiatives (SOPHIA, EMERGE, AGRICOOL). Thank you to the various participants for their contributions to the success of these activities.
Returning to ESEF 2025, dear participants, we will have the privilege of following the Ministerial Dialogue on the Forum’s theme, and we invite you to contribute richly to the discussions during the two high-level sessions on Clean Cooking and Energy Efficiency, the four thematic sessions on the Energy-Water-Food Nexus, the EELA project, Electric Mobility, Green Hydrogen, as well as during the special sessions on the WAREP and RePTAS projects of the African Development Bank’s Desert-to-Power initiative and on the ROGEAP Project supported by the World Bank. This will provide relevant recommendations to accelerate the promotion of Sustainable Energy in West Africa.
Dear colleagues at ECREEE, allow me to express my esteem and admiration for you. You are committed women and men who are advancing sustainable energy in West Africa. As this is my last official speech as Executive Director of ECREEE, I would like to encourage you to continue the work by carrying the Agency’s torch ever higher through the consolidation of achievements and the preservation of the trust that ECREEE enjoys among its many partners. I invite you to support the next Executive Director with the same enthusiasm and professionalism that you have shown me. I would also like to remind you of the construction project for the Sustainable Energy House in Praia, Cape Verde, which will not only serve as the headquarters of ECREEE but also as the headquarters for other ECOWAS entities in Cape Verde, as well as a high-level, internationally renowned technological and scientific showcase in the field of sustainable energy. As you know, studies will soon be launched and the securing of the land with the Cape Verdean authorities has resulted in the provision of a larger plot than the previous one granted in 2015. As I mentioned in my speech last July in Praia during the official celebration of ECREEE’s 15th anniversary, you must take up the challenge of jointly organizing ECREEE’s 20th anniversary and the 20th edition of ESEF in this new infrastructure.
Dear Sponsors, I would like to mention HUAWEI as the Diamond Sponsor and NAWEC as the Silver Sponsor. Thank you for your support and assistance in promoting sustainable energy in West Africa. You are companies committed to sustainable development, and your contribution is invaluable to the success of ESEF 2025, but also contributes to achieving the goals of sustainable energy access for all.
I would also like to give a special mention to our Supporting Partners of ESEF 2025, in particular AIC Green Energy of The Gambia.
Your Excellency the Vice President, Honorable Member of Parliament, Ministers, National Focal Points, Dear Guests, Dear Colleagues, Dear Sponsors and Participants of ESEF 2025, before concluding my remarks, I would like to give special mention to Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Chair of the Sierra Leone Energy Governance Coordination Group, for his leadership, particularly as Director General of UNIDO during the successful launch of ECREEE activities in 2010. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his presence at ESEF 2025 and for his continued commitment. I am pleased to announce that UNIDO’s support is still ongoing after 15 years, with Mr. Rafik Feki, Regional Director for Cabo Verde, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Senegal, but also through the important projects currently being implemented by ECREEE with UNIDO’s support in the field of Electric Mobility and Energy Efficiency.
I would also like to acknowledge the presence of the former Executive Directors of ECREEE, Mr. Mahama KAPPIAH for the period 2010-2020 and Mr. Bah SAHO who served as interim director from 2020 to 2022. Thank you for accepting the invitation to ESEF 2025 and for your contribution to the reputation of ECREEE.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have traveled from Banjul to join ECREEE and the Gambian Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in celebrating the promotion of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in West Africa.
Thank you for your kind attention.
Merci, Thank You, Obrigado!