THE FIRST CONFERENCE OF THE SAHEL ALLIANCE'S ENERGY GROUP TO BE HELD ON 9 AND 10 OCTOBER 2019 IN PARIS

Energy Access in the G5 Sahel Countries

The “Energy Access in the G5 Sahel Countries” Conference is the first edition of an annual meeting organized by the Sahel Alliance’s Energy Group, which is aimed at strengthening the coordination of the various actors and contributing to experience sharing and innovation. It will be held on 9 and 10 October 2019 in Paris.

Watch a summary of the conference:

Background

Access to energy is a key factor for poverty reduction and sustainable development. The electrification rate in the G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) is 26%, which is three times lower than the world average and twice as low as the average for sub-Saharan African countries. In fragile and conflict-affected environments, it is important to increase the financial sustainability of the energy sector and allow reinvestment in social services in order to avert serious crises and contribute to the strengthening of the social contract.
The Sahel Alliance, a platform for international cooperation established in 2017 by France, Germany and the European Union and supported by the World Bank, has identified energy as one of its six priority fields of action. It set itself the target of doubling the rate of access to electricity between 2017 and 2022. It has pledged to mobilize support from the technical and financial partners along with the participation of the private sector to pursue a common program aimed at supporting the Sahelian countries’ aspirations to universal access to electricity.
What progress has been made and what are the main challenges for the access to electricity in the G5 countries? How can Governments be encouraged to develop a sector diagnosis and an electrification plan? How to facilitate private investment? How can access be increased in vulnerable areas?

Africa Renewable Energy Scale-Up Facility (ARE Scale Up).

Participants

Some 150 participants are expected to attend the Conference, including:

Ministries of G5 countries (ministers, technical directors in ministries, agents from government agencies and representatives of public services) and policy makers;
Donors active in the energy sector in the Sahel;
Key players in the private sector;
Managers and public and private operators of energy projects;
Technical experts in the energy, security and humanitarian sectors.

Program

The sessions will focus on public policy development, technical issues, as well as local needs, challenges and opportunities. Lessons will also be drawn from experiences in other parts of the world.

Various interactive formats will allow for co-construction of proven and innovative solutions.

The first day is dedicated to plenary discussions at a high decision-making level and will provide space for policy makers and donors to formulate engaging regional messages, and provide guidance for further discussions for the remainder of the Conference.
The second day will be devoted to round table sessions and will provide an overview of access to energy in the G5 countries, as well as a presentation of monitoring and evaluation indicators used by the Sahel Alliance. It will also allow for the exchanges of experience among public and private actors at the technical level on the available solutions in fragile contexts.