Senior Energy Expert, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Specialist, Mr. Francis SEMPORE capitalizes on a professional experience of nearly thirty (30) years with to his credit the coordination, supervision and/or design of about fifty (50) programs and projects in the fields of Energy Access, Renewable Energies, Energy Efficiency, Energy Policies, Green Financing, Gender Mainstreaming in Energy, Rural Electrification, Clean Cooking, Electric Mobility, Green Hydrogen as well as Entrepreneurship and Capacity Building in West and Central Africa.

Mr. Francis SEMPORE held important positions of responsibility including the position of Executive Director of the Centre for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency of ECOWAS (ECREEE) from July 2022 to September 2025 in Praia (Cabo Verde). In this capacity, he led the implementation of Regional Sustainable Energy Policies (Renewable Energies, Energy Efficiency, Bioenergy, Gender Integration in Energy Access, Green Hydrogen) as well as the development of the Regional Electric Mobility Policy, the consolidation of the Regional Sustainable Energy Skills Certification System, the development of the ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Efficiency Facility (EREEEF) as well as the Mobilization of resources from Technical and Financial Partners for the implementation of sustainable energy infrastructures. He also held the position of Acting ECOWAS Resident Representative in Cape Verde for the period from August 2024 to September 2025.

Prior to joining the ECREEE, Mr. Francis SEMPORE worked for the West African Power Pool (WAPP) based in Cotonou (Benin), as Program Officer. Previously, he served for nearly twenty years at the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE Institute) in  Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) in several positions of responsibility, including Advisor to the General Director in charge of Institutional Development, Prospective and Digital, Director of the Technopole, Director of International Relations, Director of Continuing Education and Distance Learning, Director of the e-Education Centre, Head of the Master’s Degree program in Energy Engineering. Before joining the 2iE Institute, Mr. SEMPORE worked in the private sector in the fields of Energy, Air Conditioning and Industrial Refrigeration in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) and Dakar (Senegal). He was a Studies Engineer, Business Engineer, and Country Agency Manager.

Mr. SEMPORE is an Electrical Engineer graduated from “Ecole Superieure Polytechnique – ESP” of Dakar (Senegal) and holds a Specialized Master’s Degree in Energy and Industrial Refrigeration Engineering of 2iE Institute (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso). He is certified in Business Management from HEC Paris (France) and has a Diploma of Specialized Training in Regulation and Energy Market from Mines Paris Tech (France).

Email Contact:  sempore.francis@gmail.com

Bah F. M. Saho was the Acting Executive Director of the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) from 2020 to 2022. Mr. Saho served previously as the Principal Program Officer for Renewable Energy. Under his leadership, the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Program achieved significant results, including the adoption of the landmark ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Bioenergy Policies, which seek to advance the uptake of sustainable energy technologies and services for improving energy access. He is also the Coordinator of the BiocharPlus Project at ECREEE, and at the forefront of the establishment of the Africa Biochar Partnership. He currently serves as the interim Coordinator of the Africa Biochar Partnership.

Prior to joining ECREEE in 2010, Mr. Saho served as the Director of Energy in the Gambia from December 2000. In The Gambia, he was responsible for the overall national energy policy planning, formulation and implementation of programmes and projects, including renewable energy and energy efficiency. Some of Mr. Saho’s accomplishments include development of a National Energy Policy (NEP 2005) document, formulation and enactment of Electricity Act, drafting of petroleum legislation, establishment of a framework condition for funding for renewable energy legislation and elaboration of a Household Energy Strategy document.

Mr. Saho holds a masters degree (M.Sc.) in Renewable Energy and the Environment.

Mahama Kappiah was the Executive Director of the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) from 2010 to 2020. He was eminent in the establishment of the Centre which aims to ensure increased access to reliable, affordable and clean energy in the West African region. Under his leadership, ECREEE has attained international recognition as a unique regional renewable energy and energy efficiency promotion agency in sub-Saharan Africa, with other regional economic communities such as the EAC and SADC seeking to emulate.

Prior to the establishment of ECREEE in 2010, Mahama Kappiah was Head of the ECOWAS Energy Division. Some of his achievements include the creation of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) and the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulation Authority (ERERA). Before joining the ECOWAS Commission, he worked in the Planning and Development Department of the Volta River Authority (VRA) of Ghana.

He holds a Master of Science degree in Electromechanical Engineering from the Kharkov Polytechnic Institute, Karkov, Ukraine. He has over 25 years of experience working on issues related to energy, environment, climate change and sustainable development in West Africa and internationally. Mr. Kappiah is the recipient of the African Energy Leader Award 2017, and the Green Future Leadership Award 2017, in recognition of his work in sustainable energy development.

Source : Mahama Kappiah – WEMC (wemcouncil.org)