ECREEE and UNIDO organize Special ECOWAS Session at the SE4ALL Forum in New York

ECOWAS Regional Sustainable Energy Policies supporting national SE4ALL Actions

Sheraton Hotel, Time Square, New York

18 May, 14:40 to 15:55

The ECOWAS region has taken a pioneering role in the promotion of Sustainable Energy For All. In July 2013, the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government adopted two path-breaking policies - the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy (EREP) and the ECOWAS Energy Efficiency Policy (EEEP), which aim to increase the share of renewable energy in the region’s overall electricity mix to 48% in 2030 and also implement measures that free 2000 MW of power generation capacity by 2020. The policies include a broad range of RE&EE measures to be implemented at regional and national levels, and represent the ECOWAS contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Energy For All (SE4ALL) objectives.

At the request of ECOWAS Heads of States, ECREEE in close cooperation with partners, is currently supporting ECOWAS Member States in the implementation of the regional policies as well as the SE4ALL Initiative in West Africa.

UNIDO is supporting ECREEE since the very beginning and has been one of the key partners in the development and implementation of the regional RE and EE policies. Under the umbrella of the Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centres (GN-SEC), UNIDO is currently supporting other regional organizations (e.g. SADC, EAC, CARICOM, SPC) in the creation of similar centres and policy processes.

The session will concentrate on how regional policies provide a profound framework to foster national SE4ALL actions. The session will also showcase the unique ECOWAS approach in contributing to the SE4ALL targets through regional and national Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Action Plans and the development of SE4ALL Action Agendas in all 15 countries embedded in a holistic strategy to achieve universal access to sustainable Energy.