Regional bloc, The Economic Community of West African States Commission has declared its intention to spend $380 million powering public health facilities and schools in eighteen countries—Nigeria, Benin, Chad, and other countries in the Sahel and West Africa— as well as other countries in West Africa.

The project intends to alleviate the region’s chronic energy access shortage, which impacts over 208 million people, mostly in rural areas.

El Hadji Sylla, Senior Adviser on the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project at the ECOWAS Commission, presented the project’s objectives at a stakeholder meeting in Abuja on Thursday. The program is funded by the Dutch government, the Clean Technology Fund, and the World Bank.

According to Sylla, the project’s goal is to improve rural residents’ access to power by emphasising off-grid options for crucial public services.

“The cost of the project is $380m, and we want to promote a new innovative chain to electrify public institutions. Our target is to electrify schools and health centres to improve service delivery.

“We are piloting the project in Nigeria and the Benin Republic. The project covers 15 countries in the ECOWAS region and four countries in the Sahel region,” Sylla said.

“We are targeting schools and health centres to improve service delivery,” Sylla said, adding that the project is expected to be completed in five years across all participating countries, with the pilot phase in Nigeria and Benin to be executed within 18 months.

The program in Nigeria will start with electricity initiatives in a few Federal Capital Territory, Niger, and Nasarawa state schools and health centres.

Through grants and subsidies, Nigeria’s attempts to electrify its rural areas have greatly improved, according to Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu.

Bem Ayangeaor, speaking on behalf of Adelabu, expressed optimism that the sector will see a growth in private sector investment due to official assistance.

“I do not doubt that the rural electrification space in Nigeria, thanks to grants and subsidies, has grown significantly and will soon reach a stage where public support leverages private sector financing at higher efficiencies than it is presently done.

“A stage where the private sector would be more excited in investing in the electrification space because of the benefits to be gained,” Adelabu said.

Electricity is essential for modern education, especially for science and technology-focused schools, according to Muyibat Olodo, Director of Technology and Science Education at the Federal Ministry of Education.

“Access to power is not a luxury in Nigeria and especially in our public institutions. There is a need for uninterrupted power supply in our schools especially those in the science and technology field.

“With proper implementation, our public institutions in the FCT, Niger, and Nasarawa states will become models of energy resilience, self-sufficiency, and sustainability,” she stated.

Tunisian presidential candidate, Ayachi Zammel, has been convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment for using “fraudulent certificates.”

The Criminal Chamber of the Jendouba Court of First Instance sentenced Mr Zammel for “deliberately using a fraudulent certificate,” Tunisia’s TAP reported Wednesday.

Mr Zammel was imprisoned for 20 months for forging popular endorsement documents to contest last week’s race.

The lawyer for Mr. Zammel, Abdessattar Massoudi, disregarded the punishment, claiming it was a ploy to hurt his chances in the upcoming election.

“It is another unjust ruling and a farce that aims to weaken him in the election race, but we will defend his right to the last minute,” Mr Massoudi told Reuters.

On September 2, Mr. Zammel was taken into custody due to accusations that he had forged signatures obtained to run for president. Four days later, he was freed but was detained again on the same charges.

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held on 6 October 2024 in Tunisia.[1] They will be the first presidential elections since president Kais Saied’s self-coup in 2021.