WASCAL, ECOWAS sign MOU on Green Hydrogen, other renewable energies initiatives

The West African Science Service Centre on Climate and Adapted Land Use, WASCAL and the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate in the field of sustainable energy development in West Africa through development of an ambitious and viable project pipeline for investment, implementation and operation, with reference to the Green Hydrogen and facilitate the wide dissemination of Green Hydrogen throughout the ECOWAS region.

The Memorandum of Understanding seeks to bring the two institutions together to cooperate in the field of sustainable energy development in West Africa through establishment of an ambitious and viable project pipeline for investment, implementation and operation, especially with reference to Green Hydrogen.

The project, H2 Atlas Africa will ensure partnership with a consortium of relevant African research institutions to explore the potentials of Green Hydrogen production from the enormous renewable energy sources within the continent. The aim is to support sustainable and economic development in Africa through a viable hydrogen economy.

The proposed Green Hydrogen Project, which is multi-phased, will also develop an Atlas of Green Hydrogen potential in Africa and lead to the implementation of pilot projects in selected locations within the region. The agreement also seeks to fulfill the objectives of the UN Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Initiative which aims at universal access to modern energy services by 2030; doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and doubling the share of renewables in the global energy mix.

The renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions have the capacity to address the challenges of energy access, energy security and climate change simultaneously and effectively in the ECOWAS region, considering the fact that there are now renewable energy technologies that offer increasingly interesting opportunities to meet the growing urban electricity demand to boost access to sustainable energy services in rural areas. By this MoU, ECREEE is mandated to mobilize relevant policy makers and experts to work on the Green hydrogen initiative in the region, which is in line with the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy (EREP) and Bioenergy Policy (EBEP).

The ECOWAS institution is also expected to contribute building human, institutional and corporate capacities at regional, national, and local level to foster the development and implementation of Green Hydrogen projects. WASCAL on the hand will work with ECREEE to the project development, a strong community engagement plan in order to support the local population and the local communities during the development and pre-construction process with required facilities, job creation programs, hydrogen training programs, implementation of new hydrogen technologies and other incentives