Desert to Power: Ministerial meeting in Nouakchott commit to strengthening public-private partnerships | African Development Bank

The third ministerial meeting of the 5 Sahel countries of the Desert to Power initiative took place under the theme “Strengthening public-private partnerships in the implementation of the Desert to Power initiative”.

Representatives from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger attended the December 8, 2022 meeting in the Mauritanian capital. The African Development Bank Group organized it, in collaboration with the Mauritanian Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Mines, to create awareness and visibility for the energy initiative and to promote strategic investments in solar energy in the Sahel countries as a major contribution to the fight against climate change.

Desert to Power is the African Development Bank Group’s renewable energy and economic development initiative that aims to illuminate and power the Sahel region by building 10 GW of electricity capacity by 2030 through solar energy systems, as well as grid and off grid projects.

The meeting was opened by Mauritanian Energy Minister Abdessalem Ould Mohamed Saleh, African Development Bank Group Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, Dr. Kevin Kariuki and Desert to Power Steering Committee Chair Mustapha Bakkoury.

During the meeting, participants discussed the progress of the implementation of the Desert to Power Initiative in the five countries and discussed deepening cooperation with the private sector as a way to accelerate it.

Ministers reaffirmed their country’s commitment to the Desert to Power initiative and praised the progress made by the initiative, with a particular focus on successful resource mobilization efforts and partnerships. The ministers also underlined the urgency of translating identified priority projects into concrete megawatts and connections in the field.

“We thank the Bank for the great efforts of the Desert to Power Taskforce in implementing the national roadmaps validated in 2020, demonstrating the great collaboration between us and the Bank through this joint initiative designed to promote universal access in the Sahel,” said Minister Abdessalem Ould Mohamed Saleh on behalf of his colleagues.

Ministers also agreed to develop a common protocol and standardized documentation to facilitate the deployment of projects from independent energy producers, to pursue a common approach to the scale roll-out of green minigrids and to promote a Desert to Power Private Sector Engagement Platform (PSEP) to scale private capital mobilization.

The meeting closed with the approval of the Nouakchott statement. It was followed by a Steering Committee meeting of the Hybrid Desert to Power Initiative, which offered additional guidance on the proposals for greater private sector involvement.

Kariuki said, “We have a unique opportunity to work together to make our vision of the Sahel region as a renewable energy powerhouse a reality.”

The next ministerial meeting will be hosted by the Republic of Niger in 2023.