An African initiative to increase solar generation capacity and provide 250 million people across Africa’s Sahel region with electricity access continues to attract financial support from around the world.
Launched in 2019 by the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group and its partners, the Desert to Power initiative is designed to make Africa a renewable power house.
Desert to Power will develop and provide 10 gigawatts of solar energy by 2030 across 11 countries where 64 percent of the population lives without electricity – with consequences for education, health and business. The project will positively impact Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea.
At an event held during the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El Sheikh on Friday, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, represented by its Executive Director for Africa, Joseph Nganga announced $35 million in support of Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) under the initiative.
SEFA is a multi-dollar special fund created to provide catalytic finance to unlock private sector investments in renewable energy.
Norway’s Minister for International Development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim announced a contribution of 300 million Norwegian kroner (around $29 million) from her government to support SEFA.
Organised by the AfDB in the Africa Pavilion, the event brought together government ministers, development partners and private sector representatives to discuss how to facilitate private sector investments in the Sahel. It was held at COP27 under the title, Desert to Power – Transforming the Sahel from Fragility to Resilience and Prosperity.
It was an opportunity to present the Desert to Power programme to potential partners and to rally investors toward its implementation.
Addressing participants, including ministers from the Sahel region, AfDB President, Dr Akinwumi Adesina emphasised the importance of electricity in ensuring security and poverty reduction.
“Desert to Power is a $20 billion initiative to do 10,000 megawatts of solar power … This will be the largest solar zone in the world and so we want to turn this into a real economic activity … one that will generate productive energy to be used by the countries across the Sahel”, Adesina said.
He said that the initiative had several components, including utility-scale solar generation, decentralised energy solutions, transmission and distribution, utility reform, and an efficient policy and regulatory environment to safeguard investments.
Adesina said the programme would significantly contribute to climate action by protecting a Great Green Wall against desertification and other climate change impacts.
He also referred to the $1 billion Sahel G5 Financing Facility approved by the bank’s Board of Directors earlier this year, which includes $150 million in concessional resources from the Green Climate Fund as a key facility to help de-risk private sector solar projects.
The bank chief thanked the heads of state and ministers from the various host countries for supporting the initiative.
Minister Tvinnereim of Norway highlighted the role of renewable energy in sustainable development. “We need to make sure there is access to renewable energy and prevent old fossil emissions. To tackle the crisis in the region, we need the readiness of the governments of the region. We also need sustained access to renewable energy and the Desert to Power programme developed by the AfDB responds to these critical issues.
President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger Republic addressed the event via video link, reiterating his government’s support for the programme. The energy ministers of Mauritania and Niger Republic, as well as senior representatives from key Desert to Power partners — including Power Africa, the Swedish International Development Agency, the European Commission, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Green Climate Fund, ACWA Power and MASEN — underscored their support for the initiative.
Nganga from the Global Energy Alliance said the Alliance would also support the de-risking of investment made in the Desert to Power infrastructure as well as innovative solutions that would drive the programme to succeed.
