As part of efforts to ensure sustainable access to clean electricity and other forms of sustainable energy for the people of West Africa, ECOWAS, in partnership with the European Union, shared the achievements of the EU-ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Scholarship Programme with researchers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana during an interactive assessment visit on 20 September 2024.
Through this partnership, ECOWAS offered fully funded Masters scholarships by the European Union in the sustainable energy sector to eligible candidates from ECOWAS Member States in nine specialized institutions in West African countries, including Nigeria, Senegal, Cote D’Ivoire, Togo, Ghana, and Cape Verde. The programme aims to improve access to high-quality training in the sustainable energy sector in West Africa. It enables university graduates with a focus on young professionals (English, French and Portuguese speaking) in the ECOWAS member states to acquire the profile required to meet the growing demand for specialists at the highest level in the field of sustainable energy and to promote good governance of the sector in the region.
During this visit Mr. Chikodi Onyemerela, Director of Programmes of British Council (Nigeria), stated that since the launch of the scholarship programme in November 2022, it has successfully supported 15 students from Cote D’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Benin who completed their study at Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte D’Ivoire and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Ghana to advance their careers in the energy sector. The scholarship programme has benefitted eligible students from 11 ECOWAS member states with relevant backgrounds in sustainable energy. The target is that 75 young researchers from the ECOWAS Region will benefit from advanced knowledge for developing the Renewable Energy sector.
Mr. Bayaornibe Dabire, Director of Energy and Mines of the ECOWAS Commission thanked in his speech the European Union for its efforts in sustainable energy in West Africa through this program. He recalled that research work completed by these 15 programme scholars would facilitate access to quality research work that can help meet challenges in the sustainable energy sector in West Africa. He also encouraged students to capitalize on their knowledge acquired through entrepreneurship and research in renewable energy.
The EU-ECOWAS scholarship programme will continue enhancing human capital development in sustainable energy by supporting eligible scholars in ECOWAS member countries to contribute to developing the sustainable energy sector in the subregion.
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