On May 31, 2024, in Banjul, The Gambia, the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), in collaboration with its partners, commissioned and inaugurated two energy efficiency light testing laboratories for the Gambia Standards Bureau (TGSB). These laboratories were established with support from ECREEE, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MOPE), TGSB, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The new facilities include a sphere energy efficiency testing laboratory and a photogoniometer light testing laboratory.
The inauguration of these advanced testing laboratories places The Gambia at the forefront of energy efficiency testing in the sub-region. With these facilities, The Gambia can now test various types of lighting—including domestic, industrial, commercial, and airport lights—based on established Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS). This project was funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) through UNIDO.
ECREEE was chosen as the project execution partner for the Quality Assurance component. The goal of this component was to develop and approve MEPS and energy performance labeling in The Gambia. ECREEE played a crucial role as a project knowledge management partner and implementing agency, facilitating the dissemination and replication of project methodologies and outcomes across ECOWAS member states.
During the inauguration, Mr. Papa Secka, Director of the Gambia Standards Bureau, expressed gratitude to all partners involved. He emphasized the importance of these laboratories in preventing the importation of obsolete equipment and highlighted The Gambia’s commitment to making these laboratories available to all ECOWAS member states for light testing.
Representing ECREEE Executive Director Mr. Jean Francis Sempore, Her Excellency Madam Miatta Lily French remarked that "the commissioning and inauguration come at a crucial time for the region." She added that "the laboratories will ensure quality assurance, enhance market capacities, and protect the region from non-efficient equipment." This initiative underscores ECOWAS’s support for its member states in pursuing clean and sustainable development.
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