AfDB President Donald Kaberuka (Pic By AfDB)
The African Development Bank (AfDB), the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) and the United States-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have formed a partnership centred on linking gender and energy access.
According to AfDB, the three institutions are jointly organising a workshop to launch a project about developing an ECOWAS Policy for Gender Mainstreaming in Energy Access and its Implementation Strategy.
“AfDB’s role is grounded in its Energy Policy, which advocates for ‘universal access to energy,’ said Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, AfDB’s Special Envoy on Gender.
Participants include Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister for Family, Women and Children, AfDB’s Special Envoy on Gender, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender, and the Executive Director of ECREEE. Representatives from the respective Ministries of Energy of the ECOWAS member states, partner institutions of ECREEE and other stakeholders will also be present.
The project aims at establishing a regional policy and its implementation strategy that will support the region’s energy efficiency and renewable energy policies. It will also enhance the Sustainable Energy for All’s (SE4ALL) initiative of achieving the goals of universal access to modern energy services.
“The policy will enhance the capacity of women and girls to benefit from the region’s energy interventions,” said Moleketi.
Over the years, AfDB has made extensive investments in the energy sector across the ECOWAS region. Between 1998 and 2014, the Bank approved 40 energy operations (energy projects and/or programs) through its public and private sector financing windows in the region valued at US $1.45 billion.
AfDB’s support for the development of the ECOWAS Policy for Gender Mainstreaming in Energy Access and its implementation framework is also rooted in its Gender Strategy 2014-2018, as the project is heavily centered on leveraging infrastructure for gender equality.
The workshop will be held on Tuesday, February 24, 2015, at the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
