- The $6m will be utilised by the WAPP and ECREEE.
- WAPP will conduct pre-feasibility studies for the construction of a transmission line in the Sahel.
- ECREEE will use its part of the grant to increase its mini-grid deployment efforts and local-mini-grid capacity building.
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a $6m grant to launch the initial phase of the Desert to Power Project. Part of the funds will be handed to the West African Power Pool (WAPP) to conduct pre-feasibility studies to construct the transmission line (Sahel backbone) that will link regional solar plants in five Sahel countries; Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Niger.
Siengui Apollinaire K, Secretary-General of WAPP, noted that the transmission line is essential to WAPP’s ambition to reinforce interconnectivity among the electricity markets, increase electricity coverage and increase renewable energy contribution to the region’s electricity mix. Furthermore, the grant is expected to help de-risk energy investments by developing the transmission infrastructure needed to link countries in the region and utilise the solar power generated.
The ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) will also receive part of the grant to expand decentralized energy systems under its ECOWAS Regional Mini-Grid Program. Bah F. M. Saho, acting Executive Director of ECREEE, stated that the funding would enable the Centre to increase its efforts on mini-grid deployment and develop the required local human capital needed via certification of technicians.