Ouagadougou: Key strategic documents to boost independent power production in the Sahel were approved at the fifth ministerial meeting of the Desert to Power project, spearheaded by the African Development Bank. This crucial meeting provided an opportunity to take stock of progress made in implementing the Desert to Power Initiative, and to approve two key strategic documents: the Joint Protocol for Independent Power Producers (IPP) and the Strategy for the Promotion of Green Mini-Grids.
According to African Press Organization, the IPP Joint Protocol was developed in close collaboration with the Desert to Power Taskforce and the African Legal Support Facility. It establishes standardized principles and documents to facilitate the development of large-scale solar power plants under public-private partnerships. The aim of the mini-grid strategy is to determine a framework to accelerate implementation and encourage participation.
Discussions continued at a technical workshop on financial modeling, aimed at strengthening financial analysis tools for the viability of Sahelian national utilities. There was active participation by the general managers and financial directors of the national utilities at this meeting.
Thanking the African Development Bank for supporting participating countries through the Desert to Power Initiative, Gouba expressed that the meeting had given them a fresh start. He emphasized the need to double efforts and work in synergy to achieve the set objectives.
Dr. Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for Electricity, Energy, Climate and Green Growth at the African Development Bank, congratulated the ministers, noting that the validated Common Protocol is an important lever for accelerating the development of privately financed solar projects for the benefit of the Sahelian people. He also urged countries to take advantage of Mission 300, a bold effort between the African Development Bank and the World Bank aimed at providing electricity access to an additional 300 million people in Africa by 2030.
On the sidelines of the gathering, participants visited the Gonsin photovoltaic power plant, located to the northwest of Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou. The 42 MWp plant, part of the Desert to Power Initiative, includes a 10-megawatt storage system, showcasing the tangible results and impact of the Initiative in Burkina Faso.