On March 30th, the Industry Ministers of the Economic Community West African States (ECOWAS) approved a new regional quality standard for solar energy kits up to 350 watts.

The new standard is aligned with the International Electrotechnical Commission standard IEC TS 62257-9-8, which is a requirement for solar energy kits to be VeraSol certified. This development is expected to improve the quality of solar energy products and increase access to energy in all 15 ECOWAS member states.

The adoption of this regional standard will also eliminate technical barriers to trade, create stronger quality assurance frameworks, and facilitate a more coherent incentive structure.

VeraSol’s team of policy experts has been providing technical assistance to ECOWAS and ECREEE (the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency) throughout the process of adopting the regional quality standard. Our support for quality assurance in the region is funded by the World Bank’s ROGEAP Project, which also provides a platform for VeraSol to continue delivering technical assistance to key stakeholders as they leverage the standards to promote market growth and energy access.

Our team is currently conducting a comprehensive train-the-trainers workshop for ECREEE. The workshop aims to empower ECREEE to provide technical assistance to member states to spearhead the development of a regional quality assurance framework for solar equipment. To further enhance our efforts, our team of policy experts will also accompany ECREEE staff in delivering three capacity-building events for standards bureaus, rural electrification agencies, and other key stakeholders from across the ECOWAS member states.

Together, ECREEE and VeraSol are committed to engaging all stakeholders to facilitate robust and harmonised quality assurance infrastructure in the region. This initiative represents a crucial step towards promoting sustainable energy practices and achieving universal access to clean and reliable energy for all.

See more on this from ECREEE.