Ambassador Sesay convenes African diplomats to discuss renewable energy investment in Africa
Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Dean of the African Group of Ambassadors in the UAE, Rashid Sesay has convened a meeting for Ambassadors from Member States of the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA) to discuss the recently concluded ‘APRA Investment Forum 2025’ which took place from 22nd – 23rd October in Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone.
In his opening address at the Embassy of Sierra Leone in Abu Dhabi, Ambassador Sesay said that he had convened the meeting together with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which also serves as the APRA secretariat, to update his colleague diplomats about the just concluded APRA Investment Forum in Freetown which he described as been hugely successful with high-level participation that included the President of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio, other senior government officials and representatives from other APRA Member States.
He mentioned that as Permanent Representatives to IRENA, there was a need for Ambassadors whose countries were also members of APRA, to be fully aware of APRA’s operations and activities. He also thanked his colleague Ambassadors for making time to attend the meeting.
On her part, IRENA’s Special Advisor, Energy Transition, Climate and Green Industrialization in Africa, Madam Safiatou Alzouma said that 8 out of 10 APRA countries attended the gathering in Freetown which also had more than 200 participants. She added that during the meeting, 13 projects were pitched for a total capacity of 1.1 gigawatts and a total budget of 2 billion USD. She stated that in terms of exhibition, a total of 11 projects had been exhibited in various APRA Member States with a total capacity of 450 megawatts.
Madam Safiatou Alzouma said that the event in Freetown also had several technical sessions attended by various stakeholders and reiterated its success with very high political will from the President of Sierra Leone alongside his adviser Hon. Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella. She added that the event culminated with a very strong political Declaration. Madam Alzouma again encouraged African countries to defend APRA as an African-led initiative.
Other attendees included Ambassadors and representatives from Djibouti, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda and Ghana who also provided valuable contributions towards the growth of APRA.
APRA is an African-led initiative that was launched during COP-28 in Dubai in 2023 to accelerate energy transition, promote green industrialization, mobilize investment and provide technical support for African countries. Its membership includes Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zimbabwe
