World Bank loans $311 million to four African countries for clean energy development

The World Bank Regional Solar Power Intervention Project (RESPITE) for Western and Central Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Chad, and Togo is an initiative geared towards the development objective of rapidly increasing grid-connected renewable energy capacity and strengthening regional integration in the participating countries. Its activities officially kicked off in Freetown with a $311 million regional project supported by the World Bank, approved on December 20, 2022, and expected to be completed in four years.

Inaccessibility to reliable electricity, coupled with high electricity costs and rising oil prices (as a consequence of the war in Ukraine), have increased the liabilities of electricity utilities, and countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are facing an acute power supply crisis that threatens their economic growth. Furthermore, dependency on oil-based power plants to meet growing demand has harmed the climate.

However, the execution of RESPITE will help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by financing the installation and operation of approximately 106 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power with batteries and storage systems, a 41-megawatt expansion of hydroelectric power capacity, and by supporting electricity distribution and transmission interventions across the four countries. The project also includes a regional approach, providing $20 million to help the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP) enhance the potential for power trade in West Africa and facilitate knowledge sharing among ECOWAS member countries.