News:
October 23, 2019
The Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has given the green light that, it is prepared to invest in the energy sector in West Africa.
Executive Director for the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) Mahama Kappiah, revealed this in Accra at the third ECOWAS Sustainable Energy forum in Accra.
In an interview, he pointed out that UAE has taken a step further by inviting the West African sub-region for a forum to identify projects to sponsor and if Heads of states agree to it, in March of next year every member of the fifteen states if possible need to be carried along.
“When we were coming for this forum we made our objectives clear that, we were not coming her to talk, we needed partnership to improve the energy situation which would contribute to the social economic development. Here comes a partner who can invite all the great investment houses, they say present your projects in the energy sector along the value chain.
They have said we should meet, put everything on the table for discussion, how they can fund it, they are serious ready to invest, this is an opportunity for us since we are so much behind, it would help us move forward in the sector”.
As to whether the whole partnership with the UAE would be on renewable energy, he noted that it is the entire chain, exploration, extraction, refining, power generation, distribution and LPG supply.
“To organize a West African energy supply, they are ready for us, we have never received this type of offer, and this is the first time”.
Mr. Mahama Kappiah emphasized the need for improvement in the living situation of the West African sub-region and become more productive, “we need energy to do that, without energy we are not going anywhere”
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com