Burkina Faso validates a new project to increase access to energy in rural areas

To increase access to energy in rural areas, promote renewable energies, and especially reduce the cost of electricity, a new project document from Burkina Faso under the African mini-grid program of the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Program (GEF-UNDP) is being put in place. 

The validation of this new project took place on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2021 in Ouagadougou, during a workshop organized by UNDP. The opening ceremony of this workshop was chaired by the representative of the Minister in charge of energy, Ahmed Djiga.

After six months of work, the new project document of Burkina Faso under the African mini-networks program of the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Program (GEF-UNDP) is ready for validation.

This is the statement made by the representative of the UNDP Resident Representative in Burkina Faso, Martin N’Banda, in his introductory speech. According to him, this workshop aims, among other things, to present the draft of this project, collect suggestions and orientations in order to have a consensual project document that takes into account the aspirations of stakeholders in terms of access to energy in rural areas. 

That is why, he said, this workshop is a crucial step in the formulation process and will make it possible to have a consensual and validated project document to be submitted to the Executive Secretariat of the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

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Energy stakeholders validate the new project

For the representative of the Minister in charge of Energy, Ahmed Djiga, this project is part of the achievement of the goal of 50% access to clean and sustainable energy in rural areas by 2025. This will make energy more available and accessible to all by 2030, he added.

This new project in Burkina Faso under the African mini-grid program of the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Program (GEF-UNDP) is also a sub-regional project for which Burkina Faso is the pilot country, said Ismaël S., Director General of the Burkina Faso Rural Electrification Agency (ABER). 

“Burkina Faso is therefore responsible for leading the project and making investments in order to scale it up to the sub-regional level. At the Burkina level, it will make it possible to set up more than 500 mini-power plants in rural areas that will contribute to the happiness of the people of Burkina Faso. The objective is to reach 50% by 2025 and what is being done today is to establish a model, a technology, and a basic framework for this type of investment in rural areas,” explained Managing Director Nacoulma.

$1.7 million to finance the project

Burkina Faso’s project under the African mini-network program of the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Program (GEF-UNDP) will be implemented for a period of four years at the sub-regional level at a cost of $1.7 million. Funding will be provided by UNDP and GEF. “The UNDP will invest $200,000 per year or $800,000 over the duration of the project, and the Global Environment Facility will contribute $900,000, making a total of $1.7 million,” said the UNDP Energy Programme Officer, Sylvain Thiombiano.

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(Featured image by Free-Photos via Pixabay)

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