Cape Verde could come to host the Economic Community of West African States’ Institute for Renewable Energies, according to information provided to A Semana Online by Minister of the Economy, Growth and Competitiveness José Brito. According to the cabinet minister, the decision came out of the 33rd summit of ECOWAS heads of state and government, which took place last weekend in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Cape Verde was represented at the summit by a delegation headed by Brito himself.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit was also used to approve an Energy Supply Emergency and Security Plan for West Africa. The Cape Verdean delegation, however, called the ECOWAS Commission’s attention to the specificities of the country, which, as an archipelago, would not be able to benefit from any energy infrastructures set up on the continent.

“As a result, the summit also saw the approval of a special program for Cape Verde in the energy sector. In this respect, the president of the ECOWAS Commission informed summit participants that Cape Verde will most likely host the Community’s Institute for Renewable Energies,” said the Minister.

Another issue of interest to Cape Verde was the adoption of a negotiation strategy for Economic Partnership Accords between the ECOWAS and the European Union. According to the Minister of the Ecinomy, Cape Verde is accompanying the process with a great deal of attention so as to ensure that its interests are safeguarded.

“We can also highlight the creation in Cape Verde of the West African Institute, the objective of which is to support the integration process through the carrying out of studies and research and through fostering social dialogue within the framework of the elaboration and evaluation of regional policies,” he stated.

The creation of the institute was decided in Praia last year during the UNESCO-organized MOST workshop on regional integration and is being handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities. “The creation of this institute should allow Cape Verde to become a center of discussion on integration policies. It will also be an autonomous center of the ECOWAS Commission and will serve as the voice of civil society in the integration process. Cape Verde will in this way be closer to the decision-making process on integration.”

Alternative energy sources

The 33rd summit of ECOWAS heads of state and government acknowledged in its final communiqué that, as a part of regional efforts aimed at dealing with energy-related shortcomings, “alternative sources of energy must be explored to reduce deficiencies in the shortest possible period of time, particularly in rural areas.”

The document also acknowledges that Cape Verde, a country devoid of fossil fuels, is facing major difficulties in producing quality energy in the quantity needed to ensure the continuation of the rhythm of development the archipelago has seen over the past several years. “Authorities have been investing in the production of wind and solar energy as a way of reducing the archipelago’s dependency on the importation of petroleum derivatives for the production of electricity,” reads the communiqué.

Source: A Semana