20 April 2012: The Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) convened a workshop on small scale hydropower that aimed to define a strategic programme and plan of action for its development in the ECOWAS region.

The five-day workshop, held on 16-20 April, in Monrovia, Liberia, saw the validation of a five-year, approximately US$5 million, small-scale hydropower programme for the region. It is expected to be implemented from 2013-2018 by ECREEE and its partners to promote investment for approximately sixty dams, capacity building, regional technological and hydrological knowledge sharing, as well as the development of policies, financial schemes and a network of excellence for development, installation and maintenance of regionally appropriate technologies. Participants noted that small-scale hydro has the potential to reduce energy poverty and energy costs, and improve price stability in the region.

The programme is expected to be adopted by ECOWAS Ministers of Energy during a High Level Forum scheduled to take place from 8-10 October 2012 in Accra, Ghana. The workshop was supported by the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECID), and organized in partnership with the Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Government of Liberia. [ECREEE Press Release]