Ivoire Hydro Energy honored at West Africa Forum for Clean Energy Financing

Etty Ekolan Alain won the the top prize for its project Ivoire Hydro Energy at the second edition of West Africa Forum for Clean Energy Financing (WAFCEF).

Based in Ivory Coast, Ivoire Hydro Energy is a start-up that aims to design, construct and operate a 44-megawatt hydro power plant on the country’s Bandama River operating under a concession agreement signed with the government to solve the energy challenges in the country. It was selected among 10 other finalists.

The WAFCEF 2015 featured clean-energy projects selected in a West African regional business plan contest. Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Senegal were the countries with start-ups selected. The projects cover green technologies involving biofuels, biomass, biogas, hydroelectric, solar and conversion of waste-to-energy. They represent an aggregate investment of just under $500 million and a greengouse gas mitigation potential of about 920,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

WAFCEF2 was held alongside a high-level consultative meeting towards a New Deal on Energy for Africa. The two-day meeting was convened by African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina at the bank’s headquarters in Abidjan.