These Countries are Taking Initiative on Climate Resilience and Gaining a Competitive Edge!
Niger has been actively working on several sustainable power initiatives to enhance energy access and reduce dependency on non-renewable sources. Here are some key initiatives:
Niger Solar Electricity Access Project (NESAP): This project, funded by the World Bank, aims to improve electricity access in rural and peri-urban areas through solar energy. Since its inception in 2017, NESAP has built 15 solar power plants, with 12 operational as of July 2023. The project is expected to significantly increase the electrification rate in isolated centers from 20% to 75%1.
Rural Electrification Efforts by ANPER: The Government of Niger established the National Agency for the Promotion of Rural Electrification (ANPER) to design and implement rural energy projects. ANPER focuses on deploying solar mini grids to provide first-time energy access to 1,000 rural villages by 2035.
Power Africa Initiative: Supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), this initiative aims to expand access to electricity in Niger through various renewable energy projects, including solar and wind power. These initiatives are crucial for promoting sustainable development and improving the quality of life for many Nigeriens.
Mali has been actively pursuing several solar power initiatives to enhance its energy infrastructure and promote sustainability. Here are some notable projects:
Desert to Power Initiative: This ambitious project, supported by the African Development Bank, aims to develop 10 GW of solar energy across the Sahel region, including Mali. The initiative includes the construction of a 225 kV electricity interconnection between Mauritania and Mali, facilitating the development of solar plants.
Renewables Readiness Assessment: Conducted with the support of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), this assessment identified solar energy as a key resource for boosting climate resilience in Mali.
Hail! United States of Africa
Hail! United States of Africa-free!
Hail! Motherland most bright, divinely fair!
State in perfect sisterhood united,
Born of truth; mighty thou shalt ever be.
Hail! Sweet land of our father's noble kin!
Let joy within thy bounds be ever known.
Friend of the wandering poor, and helpless, thou,
Light to all, such as freedom's reigns within.
From Liberia's peaceful western coast
To the foaming Cape at the southern end,
There's but one law and sentiment sublime,
One flag, and its emblem of which we boast.
The Nigeria's are all united now,
Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast, too.
Gambia, Senegal, not divided,
But in one union happily bow.
The treason of the centuries is dead,
All alien whites are forever gone;
The glad home of Sheba is once more free,
As o'er the world the black n-tan raised his head.
Bechuanaland, a State with Kenya,
Members of the Federal Union grand,
Send their greetings to sister Zanzibar,
And so does laughing Tanganyika.
Over in Grand Mother Mozambique,
The pretty Union Flag floats in the air,
She is sister to good Somaliland,
Smiling with the children of Dahomey.
Three lusty cheers for old Basutoland,
Timbuctoo, Tunis and Algeria,
Uganda, Kamerun, all together
Are in the Union with Nyasaland.
We waited long for fiery Morocco,
Now with Guinea and Togo she has come,
All free and equal in the sisterhood,
Like Swazi, Zululand and the Congo.
There is no state left out of the Union-
The East, West, North, South, including Central,
Are in the nation, strong forever,
Over blacks in glorious dominion.
Hail! United States of Africa-free!
Country of the brave black man's liberty;
State of greater nationhood thou hast won,
A new life for the race is just begun.
Written by Marcus Garvey (1887-1940)
Comments