The World Bank will provide 19 West African countries $200 million in funding as part of the Off-Grid Electrification Project (Ropeg). Implemented by Cedeao’s Ecreae Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, the initiative will enable the deployment of solar photovoltaic systems for households, utilities and production infrastructure.

The ultimate goal is to enable people living in the most remote communities to have access to clean energy sources. Its implementation will be in two phases that will span five years between 2017 and 2022.

The first phase will consist of supporting the acceleration of the market for solar electric installations. It has a budget allocation of $60 million. The second, which will cost $140 million, will support and develop supply and demand in these solar markets. Its main beneficiaries will be importers, distributors of solar energy equipment, as well as the end-users of this equipment.

The beneficiary countries of the project are Mauritania, Chad, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.