AYV News, September 18, 2025
The Chairman for the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security (PI-CREF), and the Energy Governance and Coordination Group (EGCG), Hon. Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella will take centre stage in the high-level deliberations at the 10th edition of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF 2025), in Banjul, The Gambia.
Dr. Yumkella will participate as a Panelist in the Ministerial Dialogue on “Accelerating Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Solutions for Growth in the ECOWAS Region” and will also deliver a Keynote Address on “Accelerating the Clean Cooking Transition in West Africa”. His interventions will highlight Sierra Leone’s bold energy sector reform to expand renewable energy access, improve efficiency, and drive inclusive green growth.
The Government of President Julius Maada Bio has made food security, energy transition, and climate resilience a cornerstone of Sierra Leone’s development agenda. Leveraging on President Bio’s role as Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Chairman Yumkella will capitalize on President Bio’s regional leadership to mobilize support for the formulation and implementation of the ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Master Plan 2026-2036 to ensure energy access for all in the region by 2030.
Additionally, Chairman Yumkella will also be advancing discussions to host the 11th edition of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF) in the margin of the annual Climate Resilience and Energy Transition Dialogue (CRET2026). Convening ESEF in Sierra Leone is a move that would not only underscore the country’s commitment to energy transition but also spotlight its growing role as a convening power in regional energy diplomacy.
This year’s ESEF event, taking place from September 18-19, will bring together high-level government officials, policymakers, heads of international and regional organizations, leaders of financial institutions, executives of private sector companies, researchers, and civil society representatives working on climate-energy themes to explore solutions for bridging the region’s energy gaps, scaling clean cooking, and driving a clean energy transition for a more just fairer and an equitable society for our people and region.
