The NAMA Supported Project (NSP) “Promotion of Electric Mobility in Cabo Verde (ProMEC)” was presented during the 2022 edition of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF2022) organised by ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEEE) and took place from 30 October to 1 November 2022 in Abuja, Nigeria. The event brought together around 400 participants from across West Africa and around the world, including public institutions, private companies, non-government organisations, multilateral, and international organisations.
ECOWAS, which stands for the Economic Community of West African states, is a regional bloc with 15 Member States, Cabo Verde among them. ECREEE, as ECOWAS specialised agency for sustainable energy, has been organising the Sustainable Energy Forum since 2013 as a platform to foster knowledge exchange between the Member States, showcase flagship initiatives in the region, bring along donors and other relevant stakeholder, as well as an environment to promote business-to-business relationships.
For this year’s edition, ProMEC partnered with ECREEE to set up the session “Sustainable Transport Initiatives in West Africa and funding opportunities” as part of the Forum. The main goal was to bring on the same table some of the most innovative initiatives in West Africa in the field of sustainable transport. Representatives of the implementing partner National Directorate for Industry, Commerce and Energy (DNICE) presented the objectives and achievements of ProMEC in a working session, whilst also supporting ECREEE in the identification of other relevant panelists.
The session was moderated by the former Senegalese Minister, Mr. Abdou Fall, who is currently the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Champion, and included participants from Cabo Verde, Togo, Ghana and Nigeria. The panel included:
- Mr. Marc Freitas, from Togo, shared interesting insights on the current status of 2 & 3 wheelers in West Africa and the potential for reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) through the transition to electric vehicles;
- Mr. Appiah, co-founder of the Ghanaian company Solar Taxi, shared the experiences of his company as a electric car reseller and the opportunities related to electric motorcycles in the region;
- Mr. Ogunbanjo presented Oando Clean Energy ambitious project, in partnership with the Lagos City Council, to deploy up to 3,000 electric buses in Nigeria’s biggest city;
- Mr. Edson Mendes, also from Cabo Verde, shared data about the potential GHG reductions thanks to the transition to electric vehicles in the island of Sal, in Cabo Verde.
- Mr. Helder Lima, representing DNICE, shared the vision for the NSP, the status of the rebate mechanism and the ongoing tender for the charging infrastructure, the main challenges faced so far and the way forward.
Cabo Verde’s presentation was commended for being the most advanced country in West Africa when it comes to the transition to sustainable mobility. Some of the key recommendations of the session was the need for better political decisions to promote electric vehicles in West Africa, as well as the need for a green fiscal reform that would harmonise incentives to promote electric vehicles in the region.
As the forum came to an end, ECREEE announced that Cabo Verde will host the 2023 edition of the Forum. This will be another opportunity to showcase outputs of the NSP to neighbouring countries, such as the public charging network and the e-buses pilot.
For further information regarding this project, please visit its official website (available only in Portuguese): https://www.portalenergia.cv/promec .