Desert to Power: Independent power production in Sahel takes decisive step forward at fifth ministerial meeting
On 30 June 2025 in Ouagadougou, representatives from six member countries of the Desert to Power Initiative (https://apo-opa.co/3GlwfrL) approved key strategic documents to boost independent power production in the Sahel, at the fifth ministerial meeting of the project, spearheaded by the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org).
This crucial meeting provided an opportunity to take stock of progress made in implementing the Desert to Power Initiative, and to approve two key strategic documents: the Joint Protocol for Independent Power Producers (IPP) and the Strategy for the Promotion of Green Mini-Grids.
The IPP Joint Protocol, developed in close collaboration with the Desert to Power Taskforce and the African Legal Support Facility (ALSF), establishes standardised principles and documents to facilitate the development of large-scale solar power plants under public-private partnerships (PPPs). The aim of the mini-grid strategy is to determine a framework to accelerate implementation and encourage participation.
The meeting was chaired by Yacouba Zabré Gouba, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Energy, Mines and Quarries, and attended by the energy ministers of Djibouti, Niger and Chad, as well as representatives of their counterparts from Mali and Mauritania.
The ministers welcomed the project’s significant progress, particularly the implementation of over 15 projects, the first few of which are already operational. They also stressed the importance of capacity-building efforts.
Discussions continued at a technical workshop on financial modelling, aimed at strengthening financial analysis tools for the viability of Sahelian national utilities. There was active participation by the general managers and financial directors of the national utilities at this meeting.
Thanking the African Development Bank for supporting participating countries through the Desert to Power Initiative, Gouba said the meeting had given them a fresh start. “We must double our efforts and work in synergy to achieve the set objectives,” he declared.
Dr. Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for f Electricity, Energy, Climate and Green Growth at the African Development Bank, congratulated the ministers, observing that the validated Common Protocol constitutes an important lever for accelerating the development of privately financed solar projects for the benefit of the Sahelian people.
He also called on countries to take advantage of Mission 300 (https://apo-opa.co/3TVVxzJ), a bold effort between the African Development Bank and the World Bank that seeks to provide electricity access to an additional 300 million people in Africa by 2030.
“Mission 300 is a movement based on coordinated action, committed political leadership, and focused delivery from which we cannot afford to leave any country, ”Kariuki said.
On the sidelines of the gathering, participants visited the Gonsin photovoltaic power plant, located to the northwest of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou. The 42 MWp plant, built as part of the Desert to Power Initiative, boasts a 10-megawatt storage system, providing a clear illustration of the tangible results and impact of the Initiative in Burkina Faso.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
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