The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), is providing support to the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger for more informed decision-making in energy planning, through improved access to reliable, accurate and up-to-date data. We are assisting UNDP and ECREEE to upgrade the datasets included in the online regional energy information system managed by ECREEE, the ECOWAS Observatory for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECOWREX). The aim is to increase the utility of the platform for energy sector planning and coordination at national and regional levels.
We conducted national consultations with governmental institutions (Ministries of Energy and rural electrification agencies) in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to understand data-related needs and challenges. Based on the national consultations, further consultations with ECREEE, and a critical assessment of the ECOWREX platform, we designed priority improvements to be implemented on ECOWREX datasets to make them more useful and actionable to national and regional stakeholders.
We also developed the terms of reference used by ECREEE to procure a specialised international firm responsible for implementing our recommendations. We are now working with this service provider to ensure the quality of the upgraded platform.
