The Energy Charter Secretariat was invited by the Research Service of the European Parliament to take part in a roundtable on renewable energy on 17-18 July 2018, which was held in Niger, in West Africa. Head of Expansion Unit, Dr Ernesto Bonafé, participated in a panel composed of other experts from the European Parliament, the European Commission, the African Development Bank, IRENA, and other stakeholders from Niger. The roundtables (there were two others on numeric transformation, agriculture and water management) and a business delegation were part of an official visit by the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, to the Republic of Niger. Mr Tajanai also held meetings with the Presidents of National Assemblies of the G5 Sahel countries, namely, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Chad.
The G5 Sahel as a whole and all its member countries are signatories of the 2015 International Energy Charter declaration. Dr Bonafé held bilateral meetings at the Ministry of Energy of Niger with the Deputy Secretary-General Mr Dan Azoumi Maman Laouali, the Director of Electricity Mr Maman Noura Kachekare, and the senior expert and former secondee to the Secretariat Mr Salifou Gado. The discussions revolved around the importance of investment in Niger’s energy sector and the participation of the country in the Energy Charter Process.
Video of the Official visit by Antonio TAJANI, European Parliament President to Niger
