The ECOWAS Parliament has launched a high-level joint committee meeting in Dakar, Senegal, aimed at accelerating renewable energy deployment to improve rural electrification and stimulate economic growth across West Africa.
The delocalised meeting brings together parliamentarians, ECOWAS Commission officials and key stakeholders to assess energy access challenges and review the implementation of renewable energy policies within member states.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Senegal’s Minister of Energy and Petroleum, represented by Ms Babacar Gueye, reaffirmed the country’s commitment to clean energy development.
“Senegal remains fully committed to advancing renewable energy as a key pillar of our national development strategy and energy transition agenda,” she said.
Representing the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr William Baido said the regional bloc was intensifying efforts to bridge the energy access gap, particularly in underserved rural communities.
“ECOWAS remains determined to address the persistent challenge of energy access inequality, especially in rural areas where millions are still without electricity,” he said.
The Head of the Senegalese Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, Mr Guy Sagna, described the meeting’s theme as crucial to tackling poverty, unemployment and rural underdevelopment across the region.
“Harnessing renewable energy for rural electrification is not just a policy goal; it is a necessity for economic transformation and social development across West Africa,” he said.
Chair of the Joint Committee, Ms Fanta Conte, noted that millions of people across the region still lacked reliable access to electricity due to a widening gap between energy demand and supply.
“We must ensure that ECOWAS renewable energy frameworks are effectively implemented and supported by innovative financing mechanisms to reach rural communities,” she said.
Representing the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Fourth Deputy Speaker Me Billay Tunkara praised Senegal’s leadership in renewable energy and regional cooperation, stressing the importance of increased investment in the sector.
“Renewable energy is central to job creation, rural industrialisation and poverty reduction across our region, and member states must scale up investment and implementation,” he said.
The committee is expected to conduct field visits to rural electrification projects before presenting recommendations aimed at expanding renewable energy access and improving livelihoods across ECOWAS member states.
