- ECOWAS Parliament meets on regions electricity challenges
- Meets in Abidjan
- Laments regions poor electricity supply
The Economic Committee of West African States (ECOWAS) met in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, to discuss and tackle electricity supply challenges in the region. The theme of the meeting is ‘Ensuring energy efficiency in West Africa with emphasis on innovation, active involvement of the private sector and citizen participation’.
Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Sidie Tunis spoke on the poor electricity supply, which has hindered economic development in the member states. He stated that the poor rate of electricity access in the region, one of the lowest in the world, is a security matter. He noted companies in the region had been forced to seek costlier means to resolve their electricity shortages.
”…the situation of our young artisans, who cannot use their tools because of frequent power outages in their districts, thus stifling their creativity,” Tunis said.
”Or the situation of school children in our countries, who cannot continue studying beyond school hours, due to lack of electricity.” ”Or the actual numbers of scholars, inventors, geniuses, in short, sheer talents being lost by Africa as a result of lack of energy.”
”These examples that I have just given, unfortunately, concern more than 60 per cent of the population of our region, estimated at close to 400 million inhabitants. Even in our major cities, industries lack reliable and affordable energy,” Tunis added.
Hon. Tunis, however, urged the member countries to proffer solutions that would help address the challenges of electricity in the region.