Presidents of the G5 Sahel states have drummed support for African Development Bank’ Desert to Power Initiative during a recently held summit in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
The Desert to Power Initiative, which was birthed as a result of limited energy access and over-dependence on fossil fuels, is aimed at accelerating the economic development of the G5 Sahel region and ensure its stability.
The Initiative has further been endorsed by Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other development partners such as the World Bank, Agence Française de Développement, Masen (Moroccan Solar Energy Agency), West African Economic and Monetary Union and ECOWAS.
Desert to Power Initiative also aims at providing 10,000 MW of solar-generated electricity to 250 million people across the Sahel.
The preparation phase for the initiative will require close to $140 million from donors and partners.
The Desert to Power initiative covers 11 countries: Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti, Senegal and Chad and is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement and the Renewable Energy Initiative for Africa.
See Also:
