ECOWAS Convenes West Africa’s Top Energy Innovators, Thought Leaders and Other Notables For Annual ‘Sustainable Energy Forum’ in Dakar

The economic union’s Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency commemorates its tenth year with region’s leading energy forum

DAKAR—The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)’s Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) has announced today that it will be hosting its second annual Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF), taking place from 13-15 November at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Dakar, Senegal.

Building on the successes of last year’s inaugural summit, the forum will again bring together over 200 industry leaders, government officials, policymakers and other experts in an effort to identify and address the region’s most pressing energy problems, while also working toward ensuring optimal energy solutions through innovative partnerships, market-friendly policies, forward-thinking financing and an inclusive ecosystem for increased development. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with other leaders, engaging in candid, honest dialogues that spark partnerships and inspire new thinking.

“This year’s Sustainable Energy Forum is a culmination of ten year’s worth of efforts by ECREEE to ensure the uptake of a viable market of sustainable energy solutions throughout the West African region, says Mr. Mahama Kappiah, Executive Director of ECREEE. “We’ve designed the forum to be the ideal platform by which key stakeholders can not only push the conversation of energy and energy solutions forward but to also work together to bring about tangible, implementable solutions to the millions of people who call the ECOWAS region home and the many organizations that work with the region.”

During the three-day conference, delegates will liaise with other industry experts to address a series of pertinent issues including: policy and regulatory framework; grid-connected renewables; access to finance; clean minigrids; energy for productive use; cleantech innovations; gender and energy and much more.

Additional conference highlights include a diverse speaker lineup of industry experts including VIPs with decision-making power (with more to be added):

• Jean-Claude Brou, President of ECOWAS Commission
• Sediko Douka, Commissioner for Energy and Mines
• Mansour Elimane Kane, Minister of Petroleum & Energies of Senegal
• Rachel Kyte, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General & Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Energy for All
• Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, The Vice-president of Sierra Leone
• Dr. Bachir Ismael Ouedraogo, Minister of Energy of Burkina Faso
• Executives from the climate and energy finance sectors as well as technology manufacturers/distributors and many more

New this year to ESEF is the addition of a world-class Exhibition, which will give delegates the opportunity to interact with a list of wide-ranging organizations involved in the sustainable energy ecosytem. The exhibit is designed to provide optimal opportunity for companies to showcase their solutions towards the sustainable energy market (technology, services, etc.).

As a true testament to ECREEE’s growing success, this year’s ESEF is supported by European Union, USTDA, The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, The United Nations Industrial Development Organization, The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, The World Bank Group, PowerAfrica and The Global Environment Facility. Many private and public sponsors and exhibitors have already committed to ESEF2018, including Greenlight Planet, Phanes Group, Jinko Solar, Practical Action, Suntaeg Designs, BURN Manufacturing, West Wind Energy, with more to come.