EU-ECOWAS Scholarship Programme for Sustainable Energy: Assessment vis-it to the programme host institution in Ghana

As part of efforts to ensure sustainable access to clean electricity and other forms of sustainable ener-gy for the people of West Africa, ECOWAS, in partnership with the European Union, shared the achievements of the EU-ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Scholarship Programme with researchers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana during an interactive as-sessment visit on 20 September 2024.

Through this partnership, ECOWAS offered fully funded Masters scholarships by the European Union in the sustainable energy sector to eligible candidates from ECOWAS Member States in 9 specialized institutions in West Africa countries, including Nigeria, Senegal, Cote D’Ivoire, Togo, Ghana, and Cape Verde. The programme aims to improve access to high-quality training in the sustainable energy sector in West Africa, enabling university graduates with a focus on young professionals (English, French and Portuguese speaking) in the ECOWAS member states, to acquire the profile required to meet the growing demand for specialists, at the highest level, in the field of sustainable energy and to promote good governance of the sector in the region.

During this visit Mr. Chikodi Onyemerela, Director of Programmes of British Council (Nigeria) stated that since the launch of the scholarship programme in November 2022, the programme has successfully supported 15 students from Cote D’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Benin who completed their study in Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte D’Ivoire, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Ghana to advance the course of their careers in the energy sector. The scholarship programme has benefitted eligible students from 11 ECOWAS member states with relevant background in sustainable energy. The target is that 75 young researchers from the ECOWAS Region to benefit from advanced knowledge for the development of the Renewable Energy sector.

Mr. Bayaornibe DABIRE, Director of Energy and Mines of the ECOWAS Commission, thanked in his speech the European Union for its efforts in sustainable energy in West Africa through this program and recalled that the research work completed by these 15 programme scholars, this program will also facilitate access to quality research work that can help meet the challenges of the sustainable energy sector in West Africa. He also encouraged students to capitalize on their knowledge acquired through entrepreneurship and research in the renewable energy sector.

The EU-ECOWAS scholarship programme will continue to enhance human capital development in sustainable energy in West Africa by supporting eligible scholars in the ECOWAS member countries to contribute to the development of the sustainable energy sector in the subregion.