The Economic Community of West African States Commission has announced plans to invest $380m in electrifying public schools and health centres across 18 countries, including Nigeria, Benin, Chad, and other nations in West Africa and the Sahel region. The project aims to address the chronic lack of electricity access, which affects over 208 million people in the region, particularly in rural communities. At a stakeholder forum in Abuja on Thursday, the Senior Adviser on the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project at the ECOWAS Commission, El hadji Sylla, outlined the goals of the initiative, which is funded by the World Bank, the Clean Technology Fund, and the Dutch government.
Sylla explained that the project aims to increase electricity access in rural areas by focusing on off-grid solutions for essential public services. “The cost of the project is $ 380 million, and we want to promote a new innovative chain to electrify public institutions. Our target is to electrify schools and health centres to improve service delivery.
“We are piloting the project in Nigeria and the Benin Republic. The project covers 15 countries in the ECOWAS region and four countries in the Sahel region,” Sylla said. “We are targeting schools and health centres to improve service delivery,” Sylla said, adding that the project is expected to be completed in five years across all participating countries, with the pilot phase in Nigeria and Benin to be executed within 18 months.
In Nigeria.