From July 28 to 31, the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) marked its 15th anniversary with an event in Praia, Cabo Verde. The gathering included representatives from National Focal Institutions, the ECOWAS Commission, partners, experts, and specialized agencies and directorates within ECOWAS.
The opening ceremony was held under the patronage of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy of Cabo Verde. The minister reiterated Cabo Verde’s commitment to energy transition and sustainable development in the region. A delegation of ECOWAS parliamentarians attended as well, led by Honorable Fanta CONTEH, Chair of the Committee on Energy and Mines.
The event recognized milestones achieved by ECREEE since it began operations in 2010. It also provided an opportunity to reflect on progress made so far and set strategic priorities for future work. Areas highlighted included energy access, renewable energy adoption, energy efficiency improvements, and regional integration efforts.
According to organizers, over the past 15 years ECREEE has played a significant role in supporting West Africa’s shift toward renewable energy sources. Among its contributions are helping develop key regional policies such as the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy and the ECOWAS Energy Efficiency Policy. Since 2010, photovoltaic solar power plant capacity connected to grids in West Africa has grown from 5 MW to 1 GW in 2025; projections indicate this could reach 5 GW by 2030.
ECREEE has also launched initiatives focused on clean cooking solutions, e-mobility programs, certification systems for sustainable energy skills, gender mainstreaming activities, and improving quality infrastructure for solar thermal and photovoltaic systems. The center has promoted scaling up projects that connect energy with water and food sectors (Nexus projects), as well as deploying clean energy mini-grids across all member states.
“The celebration reaffirmed ECREEE’s role as a catalyst for sustainable and inclusive energy solutions in the ECOWAS region, at a time when global energy challenges call for innovative, collaborative, and forward-looking responses.”
The center has strengthened partnerships with organizations including AECID (Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation), GIZ (German Agency for International Cooperation), UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), ADA (Austrian Development Agency), IDRC (International Development Research Centre), European Union institutions such as RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency) and AfdB (African Development Bank), WASCAL (West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change & Adapted Land Use), UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), World Bank Group entities like GGGI (Global Green Growth Institute) or EBID (ECOWAS Bank for Investment & Development), JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) and ISA (International Solar Alliance).
“ECREEE expresses its sincere appreciation to all partners, stakeholders and media representatives whose presence and coverage helped amplify this important milestone and highlight the region’s energy future.”