West African Solar Pack

Summary

The West African Solar Pack (WASP) is part of the delivery mechanism of the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), led and hosted by ECREEE under the umbrella of MAMA-LIGHT^Ò Initiative for Sustainable Energy. Based on the consolidated demand in the ECOWAS Member States, WASP offers a portfolio of selected solar products and solutions from trusted suppliers against competitive prices in combination with implementation support and technology transfer.

Background and Objectives 

West-African Solar Pack: From Program Design to Implementation

The West African Solar Pack (WASP) was officially launched by H.R.H. Princess Abze Djigma, Chair of the H.R.H. Princess Abze Djigma Foundation and Special Envoy of the President of Burkina Faso for SDG's and Climate Change, at the High Level closing session of the UNFCCC Regional Forum: the Africa Climate Week in Ghana 2019 under the High Patronage of H.E. Luis Alfonso de Alba, UNSG Special Envoy for the Climate Summit September 2019.

The WASP aggregates and consolidates the demand for solar solutions in the ECOWAS region and is part of the delivery mechanism of the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) under the umbrella of MAMA-LIGHT^Ò Initiative for Sustainable Energy.

The WASP aims to translate the Global Agenda on SDG 7 on energy and global climate action into concrete actions for ECOWAS citizens and businesses. It is about getting a fair share in the value chains based on win/win partnerships. It builds on existing regional and international sustainable energy initiatives. WASP also accelerates the mission and the mandate of ECREEE in the implementation of the ECOWAS region’s sustainable energy targets. It embraces local inclusive digital technology that is critical to take the African continent towards a low carbon, climate resilient future, aligned with Agendas 2063 and 2030 of the SDG’s as well as the historic Paris Agreement. 

The WASP serves as a vehicle for the implementation of NDC’s and article 6 of Paris Agreement for strategic planning:  for a better long-term use of the carbon credit; for data protection of citizens, businesses and governments. The carbon credits generated, and the value of the data will serve as underlining guarantees for investments in the ECOWAS region.

The WASP adds value to solar energy related products and contributes to a minimum of 1 million decent jobs per country, summing up to a total of minimum of 15 million jobs in the Green Economy for the 15 ECOWAS Members States. 

The WASP, combined with the 1-billion-Euro MAMA-LIGHT^Ò Grant Fund for Women Activities and Innovative Starts-up’s, will stimulate a virtuous circle of Inclusive Green Growth and will generate local ITC-content.

The WASP is about business and added value creation in order to formalize the Informal Sector, to diversify the economy of the region and to take advantage on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCTA), boosted by digitalization and building on the eCooperative^Ò, YAM^Ò-token and Blockchain based.

The WASP is recorded in the outcome document of the 5th Africa Regional Forum and part of the key messages to be presented in July 2019 at the UN High Level Political Forum of ECOSOC and in September 2019 at the UNSG Climate Summit. It is also recorded as a best practice in the EU-AU Digital Economy Task Force report that will be presented in June 2019 at the Digital Assembly in Bucharest and at the European Development Days 2019 in Brussels. 

To get involved for business partnerships and for impact investments you are welcome to contact the Secretariat of the WASP/ECREEE:

H.R.H. Princess Abze Djigma
WASP/ECREEE Coordinator
abze[a]princess-abze.org
Praia - Cabo Verde

Hyacinth Elayo
WASP/ECREEE Deputy Coordinator
HElayo[a]ecreee.org
Praia - Cabo Verde