Multinational - Desert to Power West Africa Regional Energy Program (WAREP) Phase 1 - Project Appraisal Report

The Desert to Power West Africa Regional Energy Program (WAREP) – Phase 1 will finance pre-feasibility studies to accelerate regional-scale development for on-grid and off-grid solar generation and transmission interconnection across the Sahel Region. Desert to Power (“DtP”) is a flagship initiative led by the African Development Bank (“AfDB”) to harness the vast solar power potential across the Sahel region to provide access to electricity and enable socio-economic development as well as improve resilience in the region. The DtP initiative covers 11 countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan. Phase 1 of DtP covers inter alia G5 Sahel countries, and was endorsed by all G5 Sahel Heads of States at the G5 Sahel Summit in September 2019. The Project aims (i) To build a pipeline of regional solar projects, both gridconnected and decentralized solutions, as well as cross-border transmission projects; (ii) To strengthen the capacity of utilities to integrate intermittent solar energy in power systems; and (iii) To streamline and harmonize off-grid regional policy, planning, and regulatory frameworks and capacity-building initiatives led by regional bodies. This in turn is expected to contribute to the global objective of DtP to reach 10,000 MW of new solar generation capacity and universal access to electricity by 2030. The estimated total project cost is UA 4.18 million (approximately USD 6 million) funded under the Bank’s ADF-15 Regional Envelope. The project beneficiaries are the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) and West African Power Pool (WAPP). The project will be executed over 36 months. The 15 beneficiaries include Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.