- The European Union is expanding the sum of £32 million as part of the ongoing effort to boost the energy sector in Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries.
- Mr Bayaornibe Dabire urged all stakeholders within the energy sector to continue working together and to forge a path towards enhanced governance, transparency, and accountability in the energy sector, paving the way for sustainable development and alleviating poverty in West Africa.
The European Union is expanding the sum of £32 million as part of the ongoing effort to boost the energy sector in Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries. The AGoSE-AO program, which seeks to Improve governance of the energy sector in West Africa, was commissioned through the 11th European Development Funds and is to be implemented between May 2022 to April 2024.
AGoSE-AO has been designed within the framework of a cooperation agreement between the Commission of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), the Commission of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the Commission of the European Union (EU), under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF). Officials of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in conjunction with the European Union (EU) and other development partners, held talks in Abuja yesterday to boost the energy sector in Nigeria and other countries in the West African sub-region.
The event, which was jointly organized by ECOWAS and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), was attended by the ECOWAS specialized agencies in charge of energy, namely the ECOWAS Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency ECREEE), the West African Power Pool (WAPP) and the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA).
Speaking at the event, the representative of the Delegation of the European Union to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the ECOWAS Commission, Mrs Anastasia Oikonomou, said that the EU-funded 32 million Euro AGoSE-AO program is a West Africa targeted governance tool, dedicated to making the West African energy architecture and its regional institutions fit for purpose so that they can cope with the global challenges.
Mr Bayaornibe Dabire, Directeur of Energy and Mines of ECOWAS and chairman of the meeting urged all stakeholders within the energy sector to continue to work together and to forge a path towards enhanced governance, transparency, and accountability in the energy sector, hence paving the way for sustainable development and alleviating poverty in West Africa.
The Team Leader of the AGoSE AO program, Emmanuel W. Ramde, during the meeting, said that one of the components of the program aims to harmonize the regulatory and legal framework within the region thus ensuring a secure, transparent, stable and vibrant energy market which in turn will attract investors and boost access to modern, affordable, reliable and sustainable energy services.