The “Gambia Renewable Energy” project will be implemented faster thanks to a grant announced by the European Union (EU). A number of schools and health facilities in rural areas of Africa will be able to be electrified using solar power thanks to a €24 million grant and a €8 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EU authorized the money for the growth of renewable energy on the margins of the recent LDC5 conference in Doha, Qatar.
The conference aimed to aid in sustainable development in the least developed nations and to unlock their full potential in order to accelerate their growth. More than a thousand rural schools and 100 health centers in the Gambia will be electrified thanks to financing from the EU. It will deliver clean and sustainable energy to the beneficiary educational and medical facilities, lowering their carbon footprint. When completed, the project will more than double the current level of energy delivery in the rural parts of the Gambia. Additionally, the project will reinforce the infrastructure for electricity transmission and distribution while also assisting in the construction of a new solar power plant with a 23 MWp capacity in the Jambur hamlet, close to Banjul.
Team Europe’s top aim, according to Jutta Urpilainen, EU Commissioner for Foreign Partnerships, is to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, dependable, and sustainable electricity. The €24 million funding agreement will use solar panels and battery technologies to power schools and health facilities in the Gambia. The green energy project promotes both human development and climate action while expanding economic opportunities nationwide. According to Thomas stros, vice president of the EIB, the money will make Gambia the first nation in Africa to electrify all public schools and health facilities using renewable energy. The EIB Global division, which focuses on international cooperation and development outside the EU, is funding the flagship project.