The board of directors of the African Development Bank has approved a Desert-to-Power technical support programme that will advance the roll-out of solar generation in G5 Sahel countries, where 60m people lack access to electricity.
The technical assistance, in the form of a $5m grant from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa, has three main components.
“This technical assistance programme responds directly to needs identified in the National Desert to Power Roadmaps of the G5 Sahel countries. It specifically addresses key bottlenecks for the large-scale deployment of solar projects, and will help prepare bankable projects for subsequent investments,” said AfDB’s acting Director for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Dr. Daniel Schroth.
The approval came after the fourth Africa Energy Market Place event held by the bank. The initiative intends to turn the Sahel region into a renewable powerhouse, harnessing its solar potential to create the world’s largest solar zone.
