Call for Expressions of Interest: Green Banking Training

The Renewable Energy Academy (RENAC) in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) project DIAPOL-CE (commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety),and the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) will be conducting a 12-week online training on Green Banking from 1st December 2021 to March 2022.

Context

Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) investments are growing tremendously all over the world, providing new business opportunities in the financial sector. It is globally acknowledged that the transition to a green energy supply will be able to reduce the global carbon dioxide (CO₂₎ emissions substantially and therefore, mitigate the threatening effects of climate change. For this reason, RE & EE finance plays a significant role in saving the planet and in recovering sustainably from the COVID-19 pandemic. The training offered by RENAC provides the opportunity to keep track of  RE & EE finance and to benefit from new business opportunities in growing green markets.

The Green Banking Africa Programme

The Green Banking Africa Programme aims at increasing the capacity of banking agents and finance experts employed in public or private sector to lend to RE & EE SMEs in ECOWAS countries given that knowledge of financing RE & EE projects and decentralised energy systems is a key factor for the sustainable development of clean and secure energy supplies.

The programme seeks to contribute to a lasting improvement of financing options for RE & EE in the ECOWAS Member States by spreading know-how along the value chain of the green energy market. Additionally, the increased capacity in RE & EE finance will advance a sustainable COVID-19 response through the expansion of RE & EE, enabling a swift and green long-term recovery in the region.

The Green Banking Africa Programme has been developed by RENAC in cooperation with the GIZ-project DIAPOL-CE - Policy dialogue and knowledge management on low emissions development strategies. DIAPOL-CE is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) via the German International Climate Initiative (IKI).

Topics

• General overview on Sustainable Finance
• Introdution to international climate finance
• Characteristics of decentralised RE markets in sub-Saharan Africa
• Technologies for small- and medium-scale renewable energy applications
• Business models for decentralised RE technologies
• Business plan development
• SME Finance and loan assessment cycle
• Regional case studies on decentralized RE appliances in SSA-countries.

Format

• The Green Banking Africa programme offers scholarships for a 12-week online training. This comprehensive online learning with a flexible mode of delivery –- permitting you to study at any time and from any location –- also allows full-time employees to participate.
• Study-time per week: 05-08 hours
• A detailed course outline can be found here: https://www.renac.de/projects/current-projects/green-banking/green-banki... (in English) and here: https://www.renac.de/projects/current-projects/green-banking/green-banki... (in French)
• Applicants of ECOWAS Countries will be allocated to one of five ongoing groups:
  1. Green Banking Senegal (in French),
  2. Green Banking Uganda (in English),
  3. Green Banking Nigeria (in English),
  4. Green Banking Benin (French) and
  5. Green Banking Burundi (French).
• Of the 75 places available, up to 30 can take part in English-language training and 45 in French-language training; and
• The courses, case studies, and virtual classrooms are conducted in French and English.

Scholarships

DIAPOL-CE is financing scholarships for up to 75 participants for the Green Banking Africa Training.

Target group

Green Banking Africa will equip professionals from ECOWAS countries with the know-how to transfer knowledge within the domestic banking sector. Specific target entities include but are not limited to the following:

• Commercial Banks,
• Development Finance Institutions (DFIs),
• Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) and Savings and Credit Co-Operative Society (SACCOs),
• Institutional investors,
• Private equity, risk capital, and infrastructure funds,
• Insurance companies, and
• Project developers.

Other target groups are:

• Team leaders involved in the implementation process and operations of new financial products for sustainable and climate-related investments,
• Policymakers from ministries, departments, and sector agencies (MDAs), and
• Trainers with a track record in financial or sustainable energy/finance training activities.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this Online Training, scholars will be able to:

• Understand the interdependencies between a more crisis-resilient renewable energy sector, and the domestic economy;
• Assess financial viability and bankability of decentralized RE systems & EE projects in their regions;
• Identify international climate finance options available to local/national financial institutions; and
• Optionally: get introduced to Project Finance for larger RE plants.

Selection and Participation conditions

• Scholars will be selected based on their professional background and the information provided;
• Applicants must reside in the ECOWAS Member States or work for an ECOWAS Institution or Agency.
• Participation on a self-payment basis is not possible.
• You may find information about the terms and conditions and the privacy policy of RENAC under the following links: https://www.renac.de/renac/terms-and-conditions and https://www.renac.de/renac/privacy-policy

Certificates of Participation

Participants will receive RENAC certificates upon successful completion of the training. This implies attendance at all sessions and taking short multiple-choice tests after each module.

Application

• The application period for the Green Banking Africa Training runs from 22nd October until 6th November 2021;
• If you reside in an ECOWAS Member State and are interested, please apply via the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/greenbankingtrainingapplication;
• In case you need further clarification, send an email to jbulgo(at)ecreee.org and aadebiyi(at)ecreee.org; and
• You may find more information on the Green Banking course at: https://www.renac.de/projects/current-projects/green-banking (check the descriptions for Uganda and Senegal).