On the occasion of the event organized in Sharm el-Sheikh on Friday, November 11, 2022, as part of COP27, the Global Alliance for Energy at the Service of People and the Planet announced the allocation of 35 million dollars to the Fund for Sustainable Energy in Africa as part of the “Desert to Power” initiative ”.

The Friday event was based on the theme “Desert to Power, Transforming the Sahel from fragility to resilience and prosperity.” It was organized by the African Development Bank under the Africa Pavilion at COP2. It brought together ministers, development partners and private sector representatives to discuss how to facilitate private sector investments in the Sahel.

On the occasion, the president of the Bad, Akinwumi Adesina, presented the “Desert to Power” program in detail. He stressed the importance of electricity in ensuring security and reducing poverty. According to him, “Desert to Power is a $20 billion initiative that aims to produce 10,000 megawatts of solar energy. It will be the largest solar zone in the world and we want to turn it into a real economic activity [...] that will generate productive energy that the Sahel countries will use.”