Assessment of Clean Energy Mini-Grid Experiences in West Africa

The benefits of electricity have been well established. However, for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), having an average of 34% national electrification rate deprives it of the full benefits. Recognizing this, the ECOWAS region has committed itself to achieving universal access by 2030. Instrumental is improving the rural electrification rate currently at an average of 18%. Clean Energy Mini-Grids (CEMGs) will be one of the approaches taken to improve rural electrification, which is estimated to cater for 25% of the rural population. With less than 300 operational CEMGs in the region, the report aims to close the wide gap in terms of information and analysis of field experiences. The extracted information is to be used to build the capacities of policy and decision makers, project promoters and investors to improve the enabling environment in order to accelerate CEMG investments in ECOWAS member states.

Eseoghene Hobson is an energy enthusiast who is passionate about sustainable energy and climate change. He has an MSc. in Renewable Energy with a specialization in Grid Integration and Distributed Generations. He is aimed at contributing to solving the energy challenges the West African region faces through clean and sustainable energy solutions.