This document provides information about renewable energy and food security in the ECOWAS region of West Africa. It discusses the following key points in 3 sentences: The ECOWAS region consists of 15 countries in West Africa with over 300 million people, most of whom rely on traditional biomass and have no access to electricity. The ECOWAS Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) was established in 2008 to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency markets in the region. Some of the challenges to sustainable energy access in the region include reliance on traditional biomass which contributes to deforestation and food insecurity, as well as a lack of effective policies and capacity for renewable energy development and forest

1. Bah F. M. Saho
Renewable Energy
BIOFEULS AND FOOD SECURITY
WORKSHOP, Washington, 20 November
2014

2. Introduction: The ECOWAS
Region• 15 countries with a land area of 5 million m2
• Climate from semi-arid to humid tropical
• Population of with 300 million people
• 60% of population lives in rural areas
• 11 of the 15 countries are LDCS and HIPIC
• >90% depend on traditional biomass
• Almost 176 million people have
no access to electricity (52%)
www.ecreee.org

3. Establishment Of ECREEE
• Foundation laid by Regulation C/REG.23/11/08 of the 61st Session of ECOWAS Council of
Ministers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on November 23, 2008
• ECOWAS agency with the mandate to promote RE&EE markets with its HQ based in Praia,
Cape Verde
• Initial support:
• Launch of the ECREEE preparatory phase in November 2009 with support of the ECOWAS
Commission in collaboration and support from the core donors Official
• Inauguration of the Centre on 6th July 2010
• Governance Structure: Executive Board/Technical Committee/NFIs
• ECREEE Business Plan with long-term vision up 2016
• Annual work plans: 2014 edition under execution
• ECOWAS RE & EE Policies adopted by the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in
2013 and National RE & EE Action Plans & SE4ALL Action Agenda
• ECOWAS Bioenergy Policy is being elaborated
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Challenges of Sustainable
Energy Access
Rural
Urban
 Traditional Biomass currently 70%+ of total energy consumed
 >80% households currently depend on biomass fuels: Forest and
health challenges = environment = food insecurity
 Alternatives not competitive = improved and cleaner technologies:
 Agro-industrial waste and other wastes: Not used
 Gains in the promotion of alternatives/cleaner fuels & technologies
eroded by population increases in urban areas
 Rush for biofuels in the early 2000s: misconceptions about jatropha
– land grabbing, etc: Bioenergy/Biofuels – Food Insecurity = NO GO
AREA
 No effective Policy/sustainable planning tools: capacity &
technology transfer
 No effective and sustainable Forest mgt
• Increased live tree cutting & bush fires
• Open forests, weak policy enforcement: “no ownership”

5. www.ecreee.org
RE & EE POTENTIALS &
BARRIERS
EE potentials
 Wide range of options to improve supply and demand side
efficiency (including energy saving) e.g. Technical and commercial
losses in the electricty system
 e.g. Cleaner & Efficient production & Utilization (cleaner &
efficient cookistoves)
RE (solar, hydro and wind) & EE Potentials exist & can play an
important role in simultaneously addressing the energy and
environment challenges in West Africa
Huge potential for all forms of bioenergy (e.g. Sustainable
biomass, biogas, biofuel, waste for energy for electricity,
briquettes)
Barriers:
Policy, legal & regulatory, capacity and technology transfer,
information and knowledge sharing and financing and
investment

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ECOWAS Bioenergy Forum: 19 –
21 March 2012
• With assistance of GBEP Partners: USA UNIDO, UNEP and GACC
• Regional Bioenergy Strategy Framework was elaborated &
validated
The overall objective of the Regional Bioenergy Strategy is
to improve food and energy security through the deployment of
sustainability criteria in the production and utilization of
resources
Bioenergy Strategy Framework: key components:
• Resource Assessment, Mapping and Planning
• Policy and Strategy Development
• Information & Knowledge sharing
• Capacity building & Knowledge transfer
• Financing mechanisms and resource mobilization
Adopted by the ECOWAS Energy Ministers at the HLM Meeting in

7. www.ecreee.org
PROGRESS TO DATE
ECOWAS Bioenergy Policy document is being elaborated with the support of the
UNDP Regional Service Centre, Dakar
Potential Assessment of Novel Bioenergy Crops: Explore the technical feasibility of
growing selected crops (Cassava, jatropha, cashew and sweet sorghum)
Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer with GBEP
• Bioenergy Week/Study Tour to Brasilia (Brazil) & Maputo (Mozambique)
• Workshop on Resource Assessment
The GBEP indicators were tested in the Ghanaian context to establish their
feasibility and enhance their practicality as a tool for policymaking
Projects for Regional Scaling-up
• ECOWAS Integrated Biogas Programme
• West Africa Clean Cooking Alliance (WACCA)
• Bioethanol Cooking demonstrations in 2 countries
• BiocharPlus Project with Univ. of Udine, Italy
Establishment of a fund “West African Sustainable Bioenergy Facility
(WASBEF)” to develop the sector

8. www.ecreee.org