Catalysing Green Rural Job Creation with Decentralised Renewable Energies in West Africa
Off-Grid Europe
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) and the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) formed a partnership to demonstrate the potential of decentralised renewable energy (DRE) to generate green jobs in the West African region, with a focus on Ghana and Senegal.
According to the International Labour Organization, young men and women between the ages of 15 to 24 comprise 34% of the working-age population in sub- Saharan Africa, with youth representing 10-20% of those unemployed. DRE can act as a prime catalyst for green job creation in Africa and beyond, creating direct green jobs in manufacturing, assembly, distribution & sales, operations & maintenance, as well as derived jobs in related sectors relying upon a stable source of electricity, such as rural agricultural industries and fisheries.
Off-Grid Europe
With increased support for the green recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, especially towards long-term skills development programmes, the DRE sector can thus be a gamechanger, creating jobs for millions of people, especially in sub- Saharan Africa. The creation of these new and enhanced jobs will boost GDP, support local socio-economic development, lighten the workload in various sectors such as agriculture, and contribute to long-term sustainability by fostering skills development across the workforce.
In this regard, the partners teamed up to reinforce evidence-based data of DRE to massively boost job creation at scale in West Africa. They worked together to identify the job creation potential of DRE in the region and disseminate the findings to key stakeholders.
The main objectives of the partnership were to:
- Develop a global industry standard methodology for calculating jobs enabled by DRE,
- Identify the current and future direct job creation potential of DRE in Ghana and Senegal, and
- Present evidence to policy makers based on job creation to date proposing to consider DRE as a core element of future employment and electrification policies.
The partners conducted desk research and consultations with key stakeholders and developed a study entitled “Catalysing Green Rural Job Creation with Decentralised Renewable Energies in West Africa”.
The study deep-dives into job creation enabled by DRE in Senegal and Ghana, where 9.9 million people are living without access to electricity, the majority of which live in rural areas where DRE solutions such as clean energy mini-grids and solar home systems (SHS) provide the most cost-effective electrification pathways.
Schneider Electric
A fact sheet was also developed as a visual representation of the report’s findings, and disseminated to key decision-makers through policy workshops.
Téléchargez la fiche d’information
Off-Grid Europe
The call for action was prepared and shared widely with government stakeholders, politicians and influencers for them to endorse and take action.
A 90-second video presents the key messages of the report with the footage from ARE members and contributors of the study.
Promotion & media presence
Public-Private Dialogues
In Ghana, On 18 October, ARE in collaboration with KAS organised a panel discussion at the West African Clean Energy & Environment Trade Fair & Conference (WACEE) 2023 on Catalysing Green Rural Job Creation with DRE in West Africa which launched the publication on the subject. The session was moderated by ARE and panellists included Richard Hammond, Country Lead Advisor for Ghana and Liberia, USAID Power Africa Off-grid Program (PAOP), Dr Prince Oppong Kwarteng, Entrepreneurship and Industrial Development Professional, GIZ, and Seth Magbeve Mahu, Deputy Director Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy.
In Senegal, in view of the launch of its publication with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, ARE organised an exciting public-private dialogue to boost green job creation with DRE in Senegal on 24 October 2023. Participants included Senegalese government representatives, ARE Members, and international & national organisations, such as Coperes, Agence Sénégalaise d’Electrification Rurale, Schneider Electric, Practical Action, Off-Grid Europe, LuxDev, ANER, the World Bank, SAGEMCOM, Asantys Systems GmbH, and Voltares Africa.
Radio interviews
In Ghana, ARE conducted a radio interview with Citi FM to promote the findings of the study on green job creation with DRE.
Interview recording:
In Senegal, ARE conducted a radio interview with RFM to promote the green job creation with DRE in the country.
Interview recording in French:
Presence in local newspapers
An article on the project was published on GhanaWeb on 14 December 2023.
The project saw an extensive coverage in Senegal. Le Quotidien (page 7), L’observateur (page 7), Sud quotidien (page 6), and Seneweb promoted the project and the country’s green job potential.
