Sections
DONATE
SUPPORT WWW.JOLLOFNEWS.COM
Account Login
Renewable energy project document validated
Tuesday, 27 July 2010 23:07
By Abdoulie JohnThe Gambian Ministry of Energy, in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), today convened a one-day workshop on the validation of the “Project Documents for Promoting Renewable Energy Based Mini-Grids for Productive Uses in Rural Areas of the Gambia.”
Held at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi, the workshop brought together experts on renewable energy, NGOs, finance and public policy to discuss and eventually validate the proposed project activities. The aim of this special focus is to highlight the importance of renewable energy in not only reducing the country’s reliance on imported fossil fuels, but also to make The Gambia less vulnerable to fluctuations in world oil prices.
Speaking on behalf of the Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh, who holds the portfolio of Energy, Mambury Njie, newly appointed Minister of Economic Planning and Industrial Development, said that the availability of a reliable, efficient and affordable modern energy constitutes an important component of the Gambia government’s priorities.
“Cognizant of the above mentioned facts on the energy sector, the government of the Gambia in collaboration with African Development Bank (ADB), between 2005 and 2007 conducted a study to assess the renewable energy resource potential of the country, with the aim of identifying priority projects for the development and promotion of the renewable energy sub-sector,” he stated.
Following the completion of this renewable energy study, Minister Njie went on, the Gambia government “has been working in close collaboration with her development partners to implement renewable energy projects in the country, so as to diversify the country’s energy sources.”
This collaborative project, according to the Minister, is precisely in line with the aim of the renewable energy study.
For his part, UNIDO’s Industrial Development Officer Alois P. Mhlanga said that there was an emerging consensus on the inter-dependence between economic development, poverty reduction and energy access.
“This is particularly true in the Gambia as access to modern energy services is not so high and there is over-dependence on fossil fuels and traditional biomass energy forms,” he said. “One of the key emerging realities is the broad agreement that ‘green industries’ is one of the strategies for supporting sustainable and responsible economic recovery. This notion is amply supported by the fact that in spite of the recent economic and financial crisis, investments in the renewable energy sector have continued to steadily grow, rising from $63 billion to over $140 billion in 2009. Needless to mention, not much of these investments have been realized in Africa as a whole.”
In a similar vein, the Executive Director of the National Environment Agency (NEA), Momodou B. Sarr, who also doubles as the Focal Point for Global Environment Facility, seized the opportunity to remind participants that the “validation workshop is part of the process leading to the final submission of this full size project proposal to the GEF Council for approval in December this year.”
According to Mr Sarr, Renewable Energy offers a great deal of opportunities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions significantly and thereby combating Climate Change.
“All of the demonstration projects being designed can easily be replicated either in the Gambia or in other parts of Africa,” he said.
Hopes are high that the project, whose document was validated as expected after fruitful deliberations among participants, will inexorably herald a new era in putting renewable energy at the centre stage of the development process…
Jollofnews Poll
Who do you think should be the next President of The Gambia?
Follow us on Twitter
-
Anti-cuts protest at Clegg's homeHundreds of anti-cuts protesters gather outside Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's home in south-west London.
-
Egypt candidate to seek election suspension: lawyerCAIRO (Reuters) - Leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabahy will file an appeal for Egypt's presidential election...
-
Bristol Rovers Speed Merchant Could Be Racing To Posh(GamSports) – Peterborough United are thought to be one of a number of Championship sides...