- The G5 Sahel countries have validated the AfDB “Desert to Power” programme roadmap.
- The programme aims to generate 10GW by 2030.
- Eleven countries in the region is set to benefit from the programme.
The Desert to Power initiative is set to commence development as the programme’s roadmap has been validated by the energy ministers of the G5 Sahel countries. The Desert to Power initiative is a partnership that covers eleven countries in the Sahel region, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. The initiative aims to produce 10GW of solar energy by 2030 through on-grid and off-grid projects to power 250 million people.
The G5 Sahel is an institutional framework for coordinating and monitoring regional cooperation on development and security policies in the five Sahel states of Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad. The roadmap, developed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), has identified projects that will allow the five countries to pool their resources and develop large-scale solar capacity and a stable and flexible electricity grid.
The roadmap is structured around four priorities, solar energy and large-scale storage, integration of the electricity networks of the G5 Sahel countries, pan-Sahelian off-grid programming, and hybridisation of thermal power plants. The AfDB believes that “the roadmap will greatly facilitate the coordination of the G5 Sahel countries. An approach that will allow for economies of scale in the construction of regional solar parks and sub-regional interconnections.” The Bank also expects to increase trade integration among the G5 Sahel countries.