Israeli solar power company Energiya Global has confirmed plans to invest £785 million worth of solar projects in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The deal to install solar panels in Africa was made by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Energiya Global CEO Yossi Abramowitz during his visit to Liberia last Sunday. The agreement is to begin with the installation of a £15.7 million solar field alongside Liberia’s main airport, with solar fields to later expand into other countries in West Africa.
Abramowitz stated: “In Africa, they deeply feel the effects of climate change because of increasing desertification. They are looking to Israel as a world leader to hold back desertification, and a lot of conflicts in the region are due to scarce water and food conflicts”.
He continued: “It is a commitment by Energiya Global to deploy $1 billion in investments over the next 4 years in ECOWAS member states through the ECOWAS energy commission”.
Gigawatt Global, another solar power company overseen by Abramowitz, is also exploring solar fields in 10 African countries. In 2015, the organisation opened a 7.8 megawatt solar field in Rwanda which now produces around five percent of the country’s electricity.
Israel is among the leading countries in solar energy research, and in 2015, the Jewish state announced that it aimed to have 10% renewable energies by 2020 and 17% by 2030 as part of the Paris Accord.
