SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION OF CABO VERDE PAYS A COURTESY CALL TO ECREEE HEADQUARTERS

Praia, September 14, 2021 – A high-powered Cabo Verdean government delegation led by the Secretary of State for Higher Education, Dr. Eurídice Monteiro, recently visited the ECREEE office in Praia to get first hand information about the work of the Centre.  The visit was also designed to explore opportunities for collaboration and cooperation in the field of research and scientific knowledge.

The Secretary of State and her delegation were welcomed at the headquarters of the Centre by the Acting Executive Director of ECREEE, Mr. Bah F. M. Saho and the ECOWAS Special Representative to Cabo Verde, Dr. Samuel Lamptey.

Speaking at a brief welcoming ceremony, Dr. Lamptey welcomed the delegation on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission.  He told the delegation that the ECOWAS Commission is proud of what he called Cabo Verde’s remarkable reputation as well as the peace and stability the country enjoys.  Commenting on the basic knowledge and understanding of the history of ECOWAS – its institutions and specialized agencies, Dr. Lamptey suggested that this vital information should be included in our educational curriculum to enable ECOWAS citizens including Cabo-Verdeans to have a better knowledge about the regional body.

In his introductory remarks, the Acting Executive Director of ECREEE, Mr. Bah F. M. Saho informed the visiting delegation that the Centre has been collaborating with international partners to carry out activities on water-food-energy nexus and could be an interesting area for research collaboration. He also shared with them information on the 12 Programs at ECREEE, including the capacity building initiative – the Regional Certification Scheme for Sustainable Energy Skills. Mr. Saho pointed out that the scheme was designed to introduce quality skills for the sustainable energy markets recognized by professionals and end users across the ECOWAS member states. He said that the Centre serves as the regional certification body and align all structures and procedures to high standards practices. Mr. Saho also mentioned the interest of ECREEE in introducing Green Hydrogen in their activities following a recently concluded meeting with some partners on the subject.

In reply, Dr. Eurídice Monteiro expressed her humble satisfaction for the visit at one of ECOWAS specialized agencies responsible for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, ECREEE.  She underscored the importance of the visit noting that it has enabled them to get first-hand knowledge about the engagements of ECREEE in ECOWAS member countries more particularly Cabo Verde. The Secretary of State Monteiro also said that the Government of Cabo Verde is very keen to improve cooperation and relationship with ECREEE, in a bid to promote regional integration.