Green Energy in the ECOWAS region: Evaluation of the achievements of partner institutions in the EU-ECOWAS sustainable energy scholarship programme in Senegal

ECOWAS, in partnership with the European Union (EU), shared the outcomes of the EU-ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Scholarship Programme with scholars and educational leaders at Cheick Anta Diop University of Dakar and the Ecole Polytechnique de Thiès during an interactive evaluation visit on 25 September 2024 to the British Council Headquarters in Dakar.
This programme aims to improve access to quality training in the sustainable energy sector in West Africa, by enabling university graduates, in particular young professionals (English, French and Portuguese speakers) from 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 energy sector in the region. This partnership has enabled ECOWAS and the European Union to offer fully funded master’s degree scholarships in the sustainable energy sector to eligible candidates from ECOWAS Member States to eligible candidates from ECOWAS Member States in 9 specialized institutions across West African countries, including Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Ghana and Cape Verde.

During the visit, Ms Quemener Morgane Country, Director of the British Council Senegal, explained that in Senegal, the programme supports scholarship holders at two partner universities: the Ecole Polytechnique de Thiès and the Université Cheikh Anta Diop. The aim of the programme is to enable 75 young people from the sub-region to benefit from high-quality education in the sustainable energy sector. Since the scholarship programme was launched in November 2022, it has successfully supported 15 students from Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Benin who have completed their studies at the Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Côte d’Ivoire and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana to advance their careers in the energy sector.

In his speech, Mr Bayaornibe DABIRE, Director of Energy and Mines at the ECOWAS Commission, in virtual participation from Lagos, thanked the European Union and the British Council for their efforts to promote sustainable energy in West Africa through the scholarship programme, and pointed out that the research work carried out by the 15 scholarship holders in the programme demonstrates ECOWAS’s commitment to the development of renewable energy in West Africa.
“To our fellows, I would like to congratulate you on your selection into the program. I encourage you to capitalize on the knowledge acquired to contribute to the development of the energy sector. To our partners, thank you for your unwavering support. Together, we are shaping a better future for the sustainable energy sector in West Africa”, he added.

Representing the Department of Physics of Cheick Anta Diop University of Dakar, Doctor Joseph Sarr, Professor of Solar Thermal, Honorary Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology of UCAD thanked ECOWAS, the EU and the British Council for this partnership via the Master of Physics and Applications specializing in Solar Energy, Materials and Systems (SOLMATS) of UCAD and the opportunity offered to students. He, therefore encouraged all the partners involved to continue their actions for the benefit of research and entrepreneurship in the green energy sector.

Representing the Thiès Polytechnic School, Doctor Alassane Diène, Director of the Thiès Polytechnic School, recalled that a new important step has been taken through this training, which is essential for the development of knowledge in the renewable energy sector thanks to the partners involved in this program. He indicated that renewable energies remain essential in West Africa.

The EU-ECOWAS scholarship programme will continue to improve human capital development in the field of sustainable energy in West Africa by supporting eligible researchers from ECOWAS member countries to contribute to the development of the sustainable energy sector in the sub-region. On the ECOWAS side, this mission of capitalizing on acquired knowledge is carried out through the leadership of the ECOWAS Directorate of Energy and Mines with the support of the ECOWAS Development Partners Coordination Unit (EDPCC ex RAO UNIT) working within the External Relations Directorate.