On Wednesday, Ivory Coast inaugurated a 37.5 megawatt (MW) solar power facility, marking the beginning of its renewable energy agenda. Being the world’s top producer of cocoa, the country plans to become a major power supplier in West Africa. It generates about 2,250 MW of power, mostly from gas and oil, which it exports to surrounding countries, including Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, and Mali.
Ivory Coast wants to acquire 45% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. Following the achievement of this milestone, Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, Minister of Mines, Power, and Electricity, celebrated the country’s first step towards cleaner energy.
The operating Boundiali Solar Power Plant in the northern town of Boundiali is scheduled to expand from its existing 37.5 MW to 83 MW by April 2025. Plans are in place to increase solar power output by 678 MW by 2030.
Recently, the government approved a loan exceeding 33 billion CFA francs from the German development organisation Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) to support sustainable development, which includes building a 25 MWp photovoltaic solar power plant in Sérebou.
Additionally, a public-private partnership (PPP), spearheaded by the Emirati company Amea Power, will also establish a 50 MWp photovoltaic solar power plant in Bondoukou.
