African nations wish to be more involved in the solar revolution, in Africa and worldwide

Energy

Wednesday, 12 September 2018 14:29

African nations wish to be more involved in the solar revolution, in Africa and worldwide

(Togo First) - On Sept 10, six African countries, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Mali, Niger and Togo, officially launched a global initiative to raise funds, under the International Solar Alliance.

The initiative which is steered by the presidents of the mentioned nations falls under the Affordable Finance at Scale program. The latter’s purpose is to boost investments in solar energy.

According to the official statement disclosing the news, the program aligns with priorities set during the last New Delhi Summit. It was finalized during a meeting held in Lomé, on August 23 and 24, between the president’s advisors.

Commenting on the project, Togo’s president, Faure Gnassingbé, said : “Through this initiative, African nations wish to get engaged in the solar revolution, both in Africa and the World.”

For his part, Mali’s leader, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, added that the initiative will help “lift legal, regulatory and institutional roadblocks preventing massive investments and innovative financing solutions.”

Last is Benin’s president, Patrice Talon who said : “This initiative will help implement more projects, faster, at a lower cost, and in a way that better fit our needs and interests.”

Nations involved will meet at the end of September for a second work session.

Let’s recall that since 2013, ECOWAS member-States have had their own clean energy development strategy.

The International Solar Alliance was established by India and France during the COP21. It aims to gather all 121 countries of the intertropical zone, leveraging their great solar potential to impact the sector, significantly.

Octave A. Bruce

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