Desert-to-Power West Africa Regional Energy Program-Phase 1

1. CONTEXT / BACKGROUND

The African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Desert-to-Power (DtP) Initiative is designed to harness the abundant solar energy in the Sahel to generate an additional 10 GW of capacity to provide clean electricity to 250 million people. Phase 1 of the initiative is the West Africa Regional Energy Program (WAREP), which has three components — (i) pre-feasibility studies for the Sahel Backbone and associated solar parks to improve regional energy trade; (ii) preparation activities for the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) Regional Mini-Grid Program (ERMGP) to expand mini-grid investments and generate economies of scale, and (iii) project management to ensure quality control and supervision of the project. Component 1 is being implemented by the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP), Component 2 by ECREEE, and Component 3 is project management activities by both implementing partners.

This document entails the work plan and budgets for Component 2 activities scheduled for January 2023 to June 2024. Under the first sub-component — Preparation of Mini-Grids and Electrification of Health Centers—the following will be carried out:

• Clean Mini-Grid Feasibility Studies, and
• National Validation Workshops on the Clean Mini-Grid Feasibility Studies.

Under the Capacity Building and Certification Program sub-component, ECREEE will implement four activities:

• Selection of Training and Examination Centers for the Certification Program,
• Development of Modules on the design, installation, and inspection of Clean Mini-Grids,
• Regional Mini-Grid Training of Trainers, and
• National Training of Developers/Designers/Promoters of Clean Mini-Grids.

The implementation of the project’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan, including the external end-of-project evaluation by an independent consultant, is considered a cross-cutting activity.

2. MAIN ACTIVITIES & IMPLEMENTATION APPROACH

The WAREP aims to support studies to facilitate regional integration of electricity networks across the Sahel countries by supporting grid interconnectivity to integrate more solar generation capacity. The project comprises three components: (i) Pre-feasibility studies for the Sahel Backbone and associated solar parks to improve regional energy trade; (ii) Preparation activities for the ECREEE Regional Mini-Grid Program (ERMGP) to expand mini-grid investments and generate economies of scale (iii) Project management to ensure quality control and supervision of the project.

3. ACHIEVED OUTPUTS (If the project is ongoing)

Preparation underway to:

• conduct Clean Mini-Grid Feasibility Studies in participating countries;
• develop modules and train technicians in mini-grid design, installation and inspection; and
• select and sign MOUs with Training and Examination Centres in the ECOWAS region.