The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Powering peace and sustainable development in West Africa
With $8.5 million in funding from the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), UNOPS is helping bring clean and renewable energy to communities across the Liptako-Gourma region in West Africa.
This article was originally published on 21 January 2021 and has been updated to reflect recent project developments.
Latest updates
9 October 2024
As part of the project, UNOPS and the UN Development Programme jointly organized the Energy Private Sector Forum in Burkina Faso to bring together more than 125 stakeholders – including 40 local businesses – to discuss improving access to energy in the country.
The event helped promote and strengthen the participation and contribution of the private sector to the country's renewable energy sector.
Several financial institutions also presented information on existing financing opportunities to support the private sector's participation in the country's energy transition.
Read the press release here (in French).
The Liptako-Gourma region in West Africa extends across the borders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and is home to some of the poorest communities from all three countries. The vast majority of people who live in the region have no access to electricity and it is a significant barrier to economic development, security and progress towards gender equality.
The situation leaves residents vulnerable to violence from and recruitment into armed groups operating in the area. Women and girls are especially at risk of violence and the lack of electricity greatly increases the burden of their domestic work as well as activities to earn a livelihood.
- Did you know that less than 5% of the Burkina Faso population from the Liptako-Gourma region have access to electricity?
UNOPS Senegal signed a three-year pilot project with Sida to support rural electrification, which will provide access to clean and sustainable energy for over 300,000 people. The project will be implemented in collaboration with UNDP, with the support of the Liptako-Gourma Authority. UNOPS is particularly responsible for the installation of six new mini-grids – two in each country – as well as for leading the effort to develop local capacity that will ensure that the new systems can be effectively operated and maintained in the longer term.
We are pleased to launch this pioneering project that will contribute to stability, economic growth and improved quality of life in the region. We also hope to pave the way for other financiers to join us in scaling up – enabling a second, larger phase of this innovative approach to achieve sustainable development.
The project is expected to bring learning and employment opportunities to the people of the Liptako-Gourma region, especially women and youth, to help reduce poverty and improve living and working conditions. Further, jobs created may encourage people to choose an alternative path to joining armed groups as the only available way to earn a living.
