Access to Sustainable Energy for All with Gas

A two-day seminar jointly organized by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, the International Gas Union (IGU),the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) and Petroci will be held from 4 to 5 November 2013, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. It will provide a unique opportunity to share first-hand experiences of the options gas offers in the context of the economic development of a country or region.

The seminar will be opened by His Excellency Minister Toungara, Minister of Petrol and Energy and Kandeh Yumkella, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General and CEO of Sustainable Energy for All.  Some 60 Energy Specialists from the ECOWAS Energy Ministries and Industries are expected to attend the seminar.

The training will highlight the process of building up energy systems where natural gas and renewable gas are an important element for social and economic development. IGU will bring high-level experts with experience of these processes to share their insight in successful use of this low-carbon fuel, presenting concrete examples and case studies from Egypt, Malaysia, Norway and Qatar. The seminar underlines the fact that natural gas in combination with renewable energy is not only a means to generate electricity, but also contributes to industrial and economic development at the national and regional levels.

ECOWAS has already taken purposive strides towards ameliorating its energy challenges in a sustainable way and both natural gas and renewable energy play a major role in the initiatives taken. UNIDO supports the fifteen ECOWAS countries in transforming their energy systems to more sustainable patterns.

SE4All supports the domestic use of sustainable energy sources in the ECOWAS region, particularly natural gas given the vast resources of this low-carbon fuel discovered in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, only limited volumes are used domestically.

ECREEE supports the development of renewable energy at a regional level and favors the combination of different sustainable sources including natural gas to build an integrated energy system.

IGU representing over 95% of the global gas market through its more than 120 members worldwide, has a broad and longstanding experience in the gas business from upstream to the end-user. Many IGU member countries have successfully developed sustainable energy systems, which includes a major share of natural gas.