Implementation: the ‘ECOWAS’ commissions a consortium of consultancies

Implementation of the Project ROGEAP: l hires a consortium of firms for to provide technical and financial assistance to betweenoff-grid solar PV projects and financial institutions in the 19 countries covered by the project. As part of the implementation of the Regional Project for Access to EOff-grid electricity (ROGEAP), the groupment TSC Global/Intech-GOPA/AFC/BB and Co a officially signed a contract this Tuesday, the 1st^er August 2023 in Abuja (Nigeria) as ‘Project Fund Manager’ (PFM) from the project ROGEAP ». La signing ceremony from the service contractrange of services took place in the presence of Mr Amara S. SACKOR, CEO/President at TSC GLOBAL and representing the consortium and from the Commissioner Sédiko DOUKA responsible for Infrastructure and Energy and the Digitalisation of ECOWAS, and Chair of the ROGEAP Project Steering Committee. Following a procurement process conducted in accordance with the donor’s procedures, the consortium TSC Global/Intech-GOPA/AFC/BB and Co was selected by the ECOWAS Commission as ROGEAP Fund Manager to provide technical and financial assistance to the private sector, as well as to commercial banks and microfinance institutions in the countries covered by the project, in support of the Project Management Unit (PMU) based in Abuja and within the BOAD in Lomé. Comprising several companies specialising in financial support and the management of environmental and social risks for independent enterprises in the solar energy sector, the ‘ Project Fund Manager(PFM) from ROGEAP "Its main remit is to support ECOWAS in implementing the following at project level: Sub-component A (b) : support for the development of the regional ecosystem to promote sustainable growth in the off-grid industry, the sub-component A (c) : sharing market information and facilitating exchanges between stakeholders, the sub-component A (d): increasing regional demand through consumer awareness and promotional campaigns, and  the sub-component A (e) : removing supply-side constraints by strengthening the capacity of commercial financial institutions and other relevant stakeholders. The ‘ ROGEAP Project Fund Manager "will also play a part in the implementation of the sub-component 1-B : technical support for business capacity-building, characterised by tailored support throughout the business development lifecycle (start-up, early-stage, growth and maturity), the sub-component 1-C : financial support for businesses, which will result in a catalytic grant designed to support a critical mass of entrepreneurs in the development of solar products, business models, etc., and the sub-component 1-D : removing barriers to difficult markets through two types of grant, namely the market entry grant and the performance-based grant. Also present at the contract signing ceremony were Mr El Hadji Sylla, Senior Adviser and Coordinator of ROGEAP; the Executive Assistant to the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation; and associate members and experts from the PFM. As a reminder, ROGEAP was launched in 2017 under the name Regional Off-Grid Electrification Project (ROGEP), before being restructured and relaunched in November 2020 by ECOWAS and its Technical and Financial Partners under its current name, the ‘Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP)’. ’ It aims to increase access to sustainable electricity services in the fifteen member states of ECOWAS and four other sub-Saharan African countries (Mauritania, the Central African Republic, Cameroon and Chad) for households, commercial enterprises, and public health, education and community infrastructure through off-grid solar systems, all in accordance with a harmonised regional approach.  The project is managed by a Steering Committee comprising representatives from the ECOWAS Commission, BOAD and the World Bank. With a budget of USD 338.7 million, the project is funded by the World Bank, the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and the Dutch Development Cooperation (DGIS). The ECOWAS Commission, the Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD) are responsible for implementing the project, specifically for the components relating to the development of a regional market and access to finance for off-grid solar systems, respectively. ECOWAS press release