ECOWAS Regional Workshop on Certification of Sustainable Energy Skills

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Published On - July 25, 2024

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The opening ceremony of the annual ECOWAS Regional Workshop on Certification of Sustainable Energy Skills took place on Monday, July 29, 2024 in Dakar under the chairmanship of Secretary General of Ministry of Energy, Petroleum and Mines of Senegal, Mr. Cheikh Niane, the Executive Director of the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), Francis Sempore, and the GIZ Representative, Ibrahima Soumaila.

The aim of this annual regional workshop on certification is to bring together the key stakeholders of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Skills Certification program to discuss and analyze current activities and consider future activities towards the consolidation and sustainability of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Skills Certification Scheme (ECBSES) supported by ECREEE.

This regional workshop, which takes place from July 29 to August 2, 2024 in Dakar, Senegal, is structured around three (3) meetings:

  • The first meeting of the National Focal Institutions of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Certification Scheme, from July 29 to 30, 2024.
  • The fourth meeting of the ECBSES Technical Committee, on July 31 and August 1, 2024
  • The second meeting of the Tripartite Advisory Committee, to be held on August 2, 2024, bringing together: (i) national agencies in charge of renewable energies, energy efficiency and rural electrification, (ii) professional organizations working in the field of sustainable energy in West Africa, (iii) ECREEE’s academic and scientific partners.

This regional workshop is organized with the support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) within the framework of the Programme for the Promotion of a Climate-friendly Electricity Market in the ECOWAS Region (ProMERC II).

As a note, the sustainable energy skills certification system has been operational since 2015 with the certification of Off-Grid PV Solar Installers (level 1). Certification of professionals (Designers, Installers, Inspectors) of Clean Energy Mini-grids (level 2) will begin in early 2025 with the support of the African Development Bank under the Desert-to-Power West Africa Regional Energy Program (WAREP). Regional certification processes for Energy Efficiency and Solar Thermal skills are being developed with the support of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).