Nigeria and its neighbours in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would still enjoy a €700 million funding support set aside by the European Union Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility (EUEI-PDF), the head of cooperation to European Union (EU) delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Kurt Cornelis, has assured.
A multi-donor facility that contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular on energy, the EUEI-PDF is a flexible instrument of the European Union, to promote sustainable energy for equitable development in Africa; Latin America; and Asia.
Cornelis, stated this at the opening of a workshop initiated to help countries in the West African regional economic bloc improve their policy and regulatory frame-work on clean energy mini grid.
Organized by the EUEI-PDF and ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), in Abuja, under the framework of the ECOWAS program on Access to sustainable Electricity Service (EPASES) 2014 to 2020, the workshop sought to strengthen the capacities of ECOWAS countries to provide electricity services to their rural population using renewable energy sources.
It was also set up to expose countries to the data requirements to represent a renewable energy project in the Independent Power Project (IPP) model; and calculate the avoided cost in the IPP model; amongst others.
Cornelis, in his remarks stated that the EU has remained active in supporting Africa to grow its renewable energy industry through a number of partnerships.
He added that more than €700 of grant have been committed for ECOWAS member states from 2014 to 2020, noting that this was important to ECOWAS and EU which consider access to electricity and promotion of sustainable and clean energy quite paramount.
Cornelis, further pointed out that the EUEI-PDF was a good example of a multi-donor initiative established with the aim to promote coherent; effective; and efficient European energy development cooperation in Africa; mobilize and support private investments in renewable energy; and strengthen research, innovation and skills development in the renewable energy industry.
Similarly, the permanent secretary in Nigeria’s power ministry, Mr. Louis Edozien, informed at the workshop that Nigeria has been able to create regulatory frameworks and a regulator that support renewable energy development in the country.
Edozien, stated that a mini grid regulation was recently approved by the country, adding that the country now needs a workable transaction framework that could link customers; regulations; and investments in the renewable energy market.
