West Africa Clean Energy Corridor (ACEC-WA) Technical Workshop

The Africa Clean Energy Corridor (ACEC) initiative launched during IRENA’s third Assembly in January 2014 to accelerate the adoption of renewable power options in Eastern and Southern Africa. It has since gained growing interest from other African sub-regions and IRENA plans to expand the initiative to West Africa, where important efforts have been made toward regional power market integration.

As a first step, IRENA facilitated a technical stakeholders meeting that gathered over 100 participants from governments, utilities, regulatory bodies of the 15 ECOWAS countries, as well as regional entities (the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the West African Power Pool (WAPP), the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA), etc.). The event, held during the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Policy and Investment High Level Forum:

• Gave an overview of the energy landscape in the region as well as a comprehensive update on the renewable energy related activities
• Introduced the Africa Clean Energy Corridor to West African stakeholders
• Identified elements to be further developed into an action agenda for endorsement by Ministers of Energy from the region.

  The meeting included presentations and discussions on: the challenges and opportunities to accelerate renewable energy deployment in West Africa; the ACEC–WA concept; lessons learned from the implementation of ACEC in Eastern and Southern Africa; and financing mechanisms such as SEFA and the IRENA Sustainable Marketplace. Resource assessments, governance and regulatory aspects as well as capacity building and financing were perceived as relevant for the implementation of ACEC – WA. Political support for renewables exists in the region and ACEC’s five pillars were unanimously accepted by the participants during the event. Based on the valuable feedback provided during and after the meeting, IRENA is currently working with the regional partners (including, the ECOWAS Commission, ECREEE, and AfDB) in identifying priority actions that will constitute the main elements of the ACEC implementation plan in West Africa.