Launch of the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Entrepreneurship Support Facility

With electricity demand on the rise across West Africa, renewable energy entrepreneurs are at the forefront of efforts to extend access to modern energy services. In renewable energy as in other sectors, private-sector entrepreneurs are often the best placed to identify local needs and create tailor-made solutions.

Such entrepreneurs, however, face serious challenges in the region. In most countries, the business environment needs to be more conducive to private investment, particularly in the power sector. Governments must establish appropriate institutional and regulatory frameworks, adopt enabling policies, and promote sustainable financing and business models for renewable energy.

Global and regional institutions intent on future energy sustainability, however, are working to address such challenges in the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS). The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) have established a support facility that provides advisory assistance to small and medium-sized renewable energy enterprises, particularly in the fast-growing field of solar photovoltaics (PV).

ECOWAS-based renewable energy entrepreneurs are invited to submit their requests for assistance by visiting Launch of the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Entrepreneurship Support Facility The first window of applications closed on 15 May 2015.

See more