Ouagadougou: The fifth ministerial meeting of the Desert to Power project, spearheaded by the African Development Bank, marked significant progress in boosting independent power production in the Sahel. Key strategic documents were approved to advance the initiative.
According to African Press Organization, the meeting was instrumental in reviewing the progress of the Desert to Power Initiative and approving two crucial strategic documents: the Joint Protocol for Independent Power Producers (IPP) and the Strategy for the Promotion of Green Mini-Grids. The IPP Joint Protocol was developed in collaboration with the Desert to Power Taskforce and the African Legal Support Facility, establishing standardized principles and documents to facilitate the development of large-scale solar power plants under public-private partnerships. The mini-grid strategy aims to create a framework to speed up implementation and encourage participation.
A technical workshop on financial modeling was also part of the event, focusing on enhancing financial analysis tools for the viability of Sahelian national utilities. General managers and financial directors of national utilities actively participated in this session.
Expressing gratitude to the African Development Bank for its support, Gouba emphasized the importance of collaboration to achieve the initiative's objectives. Dr. Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for Electricity, Energy, Climate, and Green Growth at the African Development Bank, praised the validated Common Protocol as a crucial lever for accelerating the development of privately financed solar projects for the Sahelian people. He urged countries to engage with Mission 300, a collaborative effort between the African Development Bank and the World Bank to provide electricity access to 300 million additional people in Africa by 2030.
During the gathering, participants visited the Gonsin photovoltaic power plant in Burkina Faso, which exemplifies the tangible results of the Desert to Power Initiative. The 42 MWp plant, which includes a 10-megawatt storage system, highlights the initiative's impact in Burkina Faso.