The African Development Bank and KfW Development Bank will be partnering to accelerate implementation of recommendations contained in the 2018 Electricity Regulators Index (ERI) report for Côte d'Ivoire’s energy sector.

This partnership arrangement between both institutions was announced during a technical workshop hosted by the African Development Bank in Abidjan on Wednesday, 13 March 2019. KfW is a German state-owned development bank.

The workshop brought together key stakeholders in Côte d'Ivoire’s energy sector to review institutional and regulatory developments and assess implementation of recommendations in the inaugural 2018 ERI report.

In his introductory remarks, Wale Shonibare (photo), Director of Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulations at the Bank said: “Developing robust regulatory frameworks is required to ensure an enabling environment for investments in the electricity sector and to pave the path to universal access to energy in Africa.”

Launched in June 2018 during the Africa Energy Forum (AEF) in Mauritius, the ERI is a diagnostic tool that highlights key areas in regulatory design and practice in Africa’s energy sector.

“The index provides a simple but powerful roadmap for policy makers and regulators to take actions to improve their regulatory frameworks and the attractiveness of the sector,” Shonibare said.

He observed that the 2018 Electricity Regulatory Index identified 13 key regulatory gaps across the 15 ERI participating countries, including Côte d'Ivoire. The report recommended specific interventions to address the gaps – which will be done through tailored technical assistance programs in participating countries.

Andreas Fikre-Mariam, Regional Director at KfW’s Abidjan office remarked that the KfW was mobilizing private investment in Côte d'Ivoire’s renewable energy sector and deepening cooperation between Germany and the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, in the spirit of the G20 Compact for Africa.

“There are many projects underway that we are financing, including the Boundiali in Bouake, in collaboration with the African Development Bank… there is also a 10 million Euro grant from Germany to Côte d'Ivoire to promote the energy sector through sector reforms. This is to help achieve a major impact,” Fikre-Mariam explained.

Angaman Anoh from the Planning and Engineering department of Côte d'Ivoire Energies (CI-Energies) said energy industry stakeholders in Côte d'Ivoire now better understand the implications of the ERI report. However, it is critical that “regulators and utilities are consulted and involved at the early stage of the preparation of the index,” Anoh said.

The workshop brought together representatives from the Ivorian Ministry of Energy, National Authority for the Regulation of the Electricity Sector (ANARE), CI-Energies, the Electricity Sector Regulatory Agency (ARSEL) in Cameroon, KfW and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The ERI is an initiative of the African Development Bank with partners like the African Forum for Utility Regulators (AFUR) and the Association of Power Utilities of Africa (APUA).