A workshop took place in Dakar on Thursday 10 September 2026 to present the draft National Energy Efficiency Strategy and Action Plan (NEESAP), the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPB) guidelines and the Minimum Energy Performance Requirements (MEPR), developed with the support of the European Union-funded Continental Energy Programme in Africa (CEPA).
About 60 energy efficiency stakeholders from Senegal came together at the invitation of the Agency for the Economy and Management of Energy (AEME), under the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum (MEP), for a results-sharing workshop on the modelling and strategy development work carried out over recent months. The workshop was part of the support provided to Senegal by the African Energy Commission (AFREC), with technical assistance delivered under the Continental Energy Programme in Africa (CEPA), funded by the European Union.
Three complementary documents were presented: the draft National Energy Efficiency Strategy and Action Plan (NEESAP), which updates the National Energy Management Strategy 2015-2030 and extends the national vision to 2050; the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPB) guidelines; and the Minimum Energy Performance Requirements (MEPR) for new buildings. Participants were also shown the method used to rank the measures in the action plan, which weighs the energy savings each measure delivers against the cost of implementing it.
Discussions confirmed that the strategy and action plan respond to national expectations for 2035 and 2063. Stakeholders used the session to strengthen the draft, putting forward contributions aimed at making implementation faster and more effective. These will be reflected in the final version of the documents.
The draft NEESAP covers all end-use sectors: industry, services and trade, appliances and clean cooking, buildings, transport, and electricity supply. It responds to the African Union’s commitment to increase the continent’s energy productivity by 50% by 2050 and by 70% by 2063, under the African Energy Efficiency Strategy (AfEES), approved by African Union Heads of State in February 2025.
The NEESAP provides Senegal with a single reference framework for energy efficiency action to 2050, setting out prioritised measures, the institutions responsible for delivering them and the investment needed to do so. It is intended to guide the work of ministries, energy sector agencies and utilities, the regulator and financial institutions, and to give the private sector, professional bodies, academia and civil society a common basis for planning. It will also serve as a reference for technical and financial partners supporting Senegal’s energy transition, including the European Union.
“We are not developing strategies for countries; we are developing them with countries, under their leadership and according to their priorities. Senegal is showing how Africa’s continental energy efficiency ambitions can be translated into concrete national action. Our next challenge is to move together from strategy to implementation, and from implementation to measurable results.” Mehdi Khouili, Principal Capacity Building, Partnerships and Countries’ Support Officer, African Energy Commission (AFREC)
A high-level meeting will be convened within the next two months by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and AEME to adopt the strategy. It will bring together development finance institutions and cooperation partners, with the aim of mobilising investment for the priority measures set out in the action plan.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Delegation of the European Union to the African Union.
