2011 West Africa Club Forum

West Africa and Brazil: Addressing Renewable Energy Challenges

ECREEE in cooperation with the SWAC/OECD, the Government of Cape Verde and the Government of Brazil organized the 2011 West Africa Club Forum on "West Africa and Brazil: Addressing Renewable Energy Challenges", from 5 to 6 December 2011 in Praia, Cape Verde. The event followed up on the Brazilian pledge made by the President of Brazil at the ECOWAS-Brazil Summit in 2010 with regard to ECREEE and renewable energy promotion in West Africa. The joint conference was also a first step in the context of the intended ECREEE-SWAC cooperation. At the conference both parties agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding that shall set up a joint work programme for 2012 and kick off the production of a “Regional Atlas on Renewable Energy in West Africa”.

Conference Deliverables: Presentations / Fotos
Conference Information: Website
Draft Programme: Agenda
Press Release: in English | in Portuguese | in French
Media/Press contact: julia.wanjiru@oecd.org, snogueira@ecreee.org

Background

The development of renewable energy offers new opportunities for addressing West Africa’s various energy challenges. Efforts to gradually move away from the unsustainable use of biomass and fossil resources are already underway in certain countries. Cape Verde, for example, has set-up a very ambitious plan for developing renewable energy sources that aims to meet 50% of the country’s energy needs with renewable energy sources. Biofuels accounted for 26% of Brazil’s energy consumption in 2010 (compared to a world average of 2.3%). West Africa can learn from this experience as it seeks to develop its own regional renewable energy policies.

West Africa's Energy Challenges

The development of the energy sector is a key challenge for all West African countries, oil producing and oil importing alike, and the lack of access to reliable electricity sources heavily impedes the industralisation process. Nigeria is a particularly striking example. Despite being the region’s largest oil and gas exporter, about 60% of the population has no access to the electric power grid (90% in rural areas). Widespread and unsustainable use of wood resources also poses a serious threat to the region; it not only contributes to deforestation and desertification but may also ultimately impact food production and food security. For most countries in the region, over 60% of the total energy consumption comes from traditional biomass, and over 90% of the population uses wood and charcoal harvested from local forests for domestic cooking. In order to address these challenges, many West African countries have initiated power sector reforms geared towards the privatisation of state-owned, heavily bureaucratic electricity companies in the hopes of improving the efficiency of operations and increasing overall access. Countries are also seeking to attract new development partners in order to both benefit from their experience and acquire additional sources of Foreign Direct Investment. So far, only a few countries have established strategies for the development of renewable energy. However, many of West Africa’s key energy challenges (i.e. energy access, energy security and climate change mitigation and adaption) can more easily be addressed regionally.

About the Forum

The Sahel and West Africa Club’s Forum brings together SWAC Members and all stakeholders – public and private sectors, civil society representatives, development partners and the media – to discuss a priority development issue for Sahelian and West African countries. Pooling together their experiences, ideas and perspectives, it serves as a platform for participants from West Africa and other regions to identify potential areas for consensus-based regional action.

Sessions

Drawing on key finding of the African Economic Outlook 2011, the first day of the Forum will focus on West Africa’s relationship with “emerging partners”. More particularly Brazil and Cape Verde will present their respective visions. The second day will address issues related to renewable energy, and analyse the complex linkages between bioenergy and food security.

Objectives

Discussions will focus on:

• Development co-operation prospects between West Africa and new partners , especially Brazil;
• Links and challenges related to bioenergy and food security objectives;
• Next steps towards a regional policy on renewable energy in West Africa and possible SWAC contributions.

Ultimately, discussions shall help build consensus among West Africa’s regional organisations (ECOWAS/UEMOA/CILSS) on an integrated regional approach to renewable energy. Participants will also discuss ways in which SWAC might contribute to and support the development of a regional renewable energy policy in West Africa.

Participants

Government representatives

• Ministries of Energy from Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo;
• Ministries of Agriculture and Social Development from Burkina Faso and Brazil;
• Ministries of Foreign Affairs from Brazil and Cape Verde;
• National Agency for Development of Biofuels (ANADEB), Mali;
• Rural Electrification and Sustainable Supply of Domestic Fuel Programme (PERACOD), Senegal

Regional and Pan-African Organisations

• African Union (AU)
• Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
• New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
• Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS)
• UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
• West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA)

Development Partners

• Brazilian Co-operation Agency (ABC)
• Casa Africa
• FAO/ Global Bioenergy Partnership Secretariat
• Hub Rural
• Institut de l'Énergie et de l'Environnement de la Francophonie (IEPF)
• International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
• Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB)

Banks and Financial institutions

• African Biofuel and Renewable Energy Fund (BIDC/FABER)
• African Development Bank (AfDB)
• Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES)
• Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO)
• West African Bank of Development (WADB)

Private sector

• AGRITECH
• Belwet Biocarburant SA
• BioFuel Africa
• Cassava Agro industries Services Ltd
• Global Biofuel Ltd
• Mali Biocarburants SA
• Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
• Petrobrás Biofuels

Research Institutes

• Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA)
• FGVProjects, Brazil
• Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
• International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
• Quinvita
• The Energy Center (TEC/KNUST)
• West Africa Institute for International Research on Regional Integration and Social Transformations (WAI)

NGOs and civil society representatives

• African Association for Biofuel Producers (AAPB)
• Environmental Development Action in the Third World (ENDA-Tiers Monde)
• Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP-International)
• Mali Folk Center (MFC)
• Network of Farmers' and Agricultural Producers' Organisations of West Africa (ROPPA)
• Regional Advisory Information and Network Systems (RAINS)