• Côte d’Ivoire signed a CFA20 billion ($35.8 million) loan deal with Germany’s KfW to finance an energy efficiency program.
• The program will replace 31,000 public street lamps in Abidjan with LED lights and renovate government buildings.
• Authorities expect to save 24,148 MWh annually, cut state electricity costs by $3.9 million and reduce 9,631 tons of CO₂ emissions per year.

Côte d’Ivoire has stepped up efforts to integrate energy efficiency into national policy. Authorities said on October 1 they ratified a loan agreement worth over CFA20 billion ($35.8 million) with German development bank Kreditanstalt Für Wiederaufbau (KfW) to fund the “Energy Management Program.”

Officials said the program aims to reduce government electricity bills and enhance public safety with improved lighting.

The plan includes thermal and energy audits as well as renovation work in several public buildings, including the ministerial block. It also provides for the replacement of 31,000 public street lamps across greater Abidjan with low-consumption LED lights.

Authorities expect the program to deliver significant results. They project annual savings of 24,148 megawatt-hours, equivalent to a CFA2.2 billion ($3.9 million) reduction in state electricity costs. The initiative is also forecast to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 9,631 tons of CO₂ per year.

The program forms part of Côte d’Ivoire’s National Energy Plan. The strategy strengthens the resources of the National Energy Management Fund (FONAME) and introduces measures such as mandatory energy audits for large consumers, mandatory labeling for electrical equipment, and efficiency requirements for new buildings.

The government said these measures underpin the national strategy and support efforts to achieve a 45% share of renewables in Côte d’Ivoire’s power mix by 2030.

This article was initially published in French by Abdoullah Diop

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum