ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum 2020 (ESEF 2020) Goes Digital
17 November 2020 – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is set to host the fourth edition of its Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF 2020) from 24-26 November 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s ESEF will be held virtually under the high-patronage of His Excellency, Mr. Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, president of the ECOWAS Commission.
The event is organised by ECREEE in partnership with the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), the global decentralised renewable energy industry association, and supported by GET.invest, a European programme which mobilises investments in decentralised renewable energy, GIZ and the Austrian Development Cooperation. ESEF2020 is also supported by a growing number of sponsors such as Energy Catalyst and RES4Africa.
The three-day virtual forum is expected to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders from the energy sector within and outside the region including representatives of private sector companies, financial institutions, academia, civil society and development partners and donors.
The ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF) was instituted in 2017 by the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) to support the investment and policy initiatives of member states in the regional renewable energy sector. ECREEE is undertaking this objective in collaboration with local, regional and international agencies to achieve a greater contribution of renewables to the energy needs of member states.
ESEF2020, which coincides with ECREEE’s 10th year anniversary, will raise awareness about the progress made by ECOWAS member states toward achieving sustainable energy targets set for 2030. It will also focus on achieving the vision of the ECOWAS for a prosperous regional sustainable energy market, which is contingent upon harnessing the region’s vast renewable energy potential. Lastly ESEF2020, will focus on “recovering wiser” by showcasing the need for sustainable energy in the COVID-19 response and recovery.
ESEF has been a vehicle for collaboration and transformative progress towards the energy targets of the ECOWAS region. This year’s forum will be divided into different sessions supported by thematic areas to cater to the different stakeholder groups. These include the role off-grid renewables in achieving of the SDGs in the ECOWAS region; powering essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond; ensuring business continuity; women entrepreneurs as key drivers of growth where ARE will launch a key publication with recommendations based on 17 case studies from the sector; and productive uses of energy Additionally, ESEF2020 will facilitate business collaborations through dedicated Business-to-Business (B2B) sessions offered by GET.invest.
For programme and registration details, please visit the forum site at https://esef2020.get-invest-matchmaking.eu