2nd Regional Workshop of the Network of Journalists of the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP) to finalise a media strategy for the visibility of the project’s activities in Member States

Nineteen (19) media focal points from the ROGEAP project’s 19 Member States are participating in the   2nd information and awareness-raising workshop on the activities implemented within the framework of ROGEAP on  13 and 14 March 2024 in Lomé (Togo). The workshop was organized by the Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation Department of the ECOWAS Commission and the West African Development Bank. The opening ceremony was chaired by Mr Arnaud Kouadio Ba, representing Sédiko Douka, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, Mr Hodabalo Assih, representing Togo’s Director General of Energy  and Mr Abdoulie Gassama, President of  the Network of ROGEAP Journalists.

The 2nd regional workshop seeks   to update the knowledge of focal point journalists and network members on the activities implemented under the project from its commencement date in March 2022 to its regional launch in October 2023 in Praia, Cabo Verde, by ECOWAS in the presence of the World Bank and  other key players and partners.

The regional meeting also serves as a forum for discussions on the implementation of a media strategy that could foster working relations between the Network  of ROGEAP Journalists and the  Project Fund Manager- PFM  (technical agency recruited by the ECOWAS Commission to implement certain components of the project) on the one hand, and the West African Development Bank on the other. At the end of the workshop, it is expected that the journalist focal points will  identify  the missions and methodology for implementing the activities of all project’s stakeholders, with a view to garnering strong media support and greater visibility for ROGEAP’s activities in the 19 Member States.

It would be recalled that ROGEAP is a regional initiative implemented by the ECOWAS Commission and the West African Development Bank (BOAD) to increase access to sustainable electricity services in the 15 ECOWAS Member States and 4 other African countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Mauritania, and Chad) for the benefit of households, businesses and public community health and education facilities through a harmonised regional approach. It is financed by the World Bank, the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and the Netherlands Cooperation (DGIS) to the tune of USD 338.7 million.