The ECOWAS Parliament has intensified calls for a renewable energy revolution to tackle poverty and underdevelopment across West Africa.
Lawmakers made the appeal at a five-day joint committee meeting in Dakar, Senegal.
They said electricity access must become central to addressing unemployment, food insecurity and rural poverty.
The session brought together parliamentarians, energy experts, development partners and private sector stakeholders.
Speaking for the Speaker of Parliament, Billay Tunkara said renewable energy should be treated as an economic transformation tool.
He noted that rural communities remain locked in poverty due to poor infrastructure and limited energy access.
Tunkara said clean energy can boost agriculture, create jobs and support small businesses.
He described renewable energy as more than a technical solution to power shortages.
Head of the Senegalese delegation, Guy Marius Sagna, said West Africa is trapped in an energy paradox.
He revealed that rural electricity access in the region stands at about 12 percent despite vast solar potential.
Sagna said the gap between resources and usage is one of the region’s biggest development contradictions.
He warned that without energy sovereignty, sustainable development would remain difficult to achieve.
Chairperson of the joint committee, Fanta Conte, said less than 40 percent of rural populations have electricity access.
She noted that in some communities the figure drops below 10 per cent.
Conte said lack of electricity affects healthcare, education, agriculture and small businesses.
She urged lawmakers to ensure energy policies are effectively implemented at national levels.
Experts at the meeting linked energy shortages to unemployment, poverty and weak economic growth.
They said many rural households depend on generators due to unreliable power supply.
Senegal’s renewable energy progress was highlighted as a regional example.
The lawmakers praised President Bassirou Diomaye Faye for expanding solar energy investments.
They said his administration has improved electricity access in rural communities.
The Dakar meeting is expected to produce recommendations on accelerating rural electrification.
Delegates believe renewable energy could drive jobs, investment and industrial growth across the region.
The session continues until June 19 with field visits to solar installations in rural communities.
Participants said the outcome could shape West Africa’s long-term energy and development strategy.
