Dakar, the capital of Senegal is playing host to the ECOWAS Parliament’s Delocalised Joint Committee Meeting on renewable energy.
The five-day meeting which opened today June 15th, 2026 and ends on June 19th, 2026 has members of parliament of the ECOWAS, institutional representatives, government officials, development partners, private sector actors, civil society organisations and energy experts to chart strategies for scaling up renewable energy deployment and accelerating rural electrification across the region.
The theme is: “Harnessing Renewable Energy for Rural Electrification and Empowerment of Rural Economies in the ECOWAS Region: The Role of the ECOWAS Parliament,” and will be conducted jointly by the Joint Committee on Energy and Mines; Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources; and Infrastructure, under the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament.
“The meeting comes at a pivotal moment, when millions of people in rural West Africa continue to lack reliable electricity, with direct consequences for agriculture, education, healthcare, digital inclusion and economic productivity, despite recent progress in rural electrification around the sub-region,” a statement by the ECOWAS said in part.
The sub region body has committed to achieving universal access to sustainable and affordable energy by 2030, and parliamentary action is increasingly central to that ambition.
Discussions will examine how decentralised renewable energy systems including solar mini-grids, hybrid energy systems and stand-alone solar installations can more effectively bridge the electricity access gap in underserved communities. West Africa holds vast untapped solar and hydropower potential, and the meeting will assess progress to date, map existing constraints and identify concrete pathways for scaling up regional investment.
The Joint Committee will also review key regional frameworks including the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy (EREP), the Energy Efficiency Policy (EEEP), the updated ECOWAS Energy Policy and the Regional Electricity Market (REM), alongside the contributions of ECREEE, the West African Power Pool (WAPP) and the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA).
A highlight of the programme is a field visit to a renewable energy installation in Senegal, where Members of Parliament will engage directly with beneficiary communities, local entrepreneurs, women and youth groups, gaining firsthand insight into how rural electrification transforms livelihoods and drives local enterprise.
At the end of the week-long meeting, Members are expected to adopt recommendations to reinforce regional rural electrification efforts, mobilise investment in renewable energy infrastructure and strengthen parliamentary oversight of ECOWAS energy policies and programmes.
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