A new call for proposals for energy development in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific countries is set to be announced at a high-level forum on sustainable energy this week in Ghana.
This funding opportunity has been allocated €75 million ($96 million), which will be drawn from the ACP-EU Energy Facility, an initiative launched in 2005 to support projects designed to increase access to affordable and sustainable energy for people living in rural and peripheral urban regions of ACP countries. It is the third call for proposals launched under the facility since 2006.
Final details about the call for proposals are not yet available. But like previous opportunities, the call is expected to have two steps. First is the submission of a concept note for evaluation. Detailed proposals for projects that pass the first evaluation will be then be requested.
According to an ACP-EU Energy Facility newsletter released in August, this upcoming funding round will focus on areas like private sector engagement, innovation, scaling-up of successful projects, support for rural electrification and the energy-food nexus.
The call for proposals will be formally launched at a high-level forum dubbed “Towards Sustainable Energy for All in West Africa,” which is expected to result in the adoption of a new regional energy efficiency and renewable energy policy.
Among expected participants of the forum is European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs, who is visiting Ghana on Oct. 30-31.
During his visit, Piebalgs will announce the “EU Maternal Health Support Program,” a €52 million initiative designed to improve maternal and child care skills, as well as support family planning activities in the country.
Piebalgs is also set to launch the €45 million “Ghana Decentralisation Support Progamme,” which aims to strengthen decentralized authorities that provide basic services like water, sanitation and roads. It will also support Ghana’s push to decentralize its education and health sectors.
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About the author
Ivy Mungcal
As former senior staff writer, Ivy Mungcal contributed to several Devex publications. Her focus is on breaking news, and in particular on global aid reform and trends in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Before joining Devex in 2009, Ivy produced specialized content for U.S. and U.K.-based business websites.
