The Chairman of the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA), Engr. Kokou Laurent Tossou, has assured the commitment of ERERA to the development of the energy sector in West Africa.
Engr. Tossou gave the assurance while addressing participants at the opening of a three-day capacity building workshop on ‘Empowering Women for Leadership in the Energy Sector’ on March 11, 2024 at the Volta River Authority (VRA) Academy in Akuse in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
Among those in attendance was the Vice President of the VRA Academy, Mr. Kingsley Gyamfi, who also addressed participants at the workshop, which was designed for female staff of ERERA, the West African Power Pool (WAPP) as well as the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE).
Engr. Tossou recalled that ERERA is committed through the Energy Governance Programme in West Africa (AGOSE-AO) to the development of the tools necessary for gender integration in the electricity sector within ECOWAS and thanked “all those who contributed to the development of this activity”.
He reiterated ERERA’s commitment to the promotion of gender mainstreaming and leadership, especially among the national regulatory bodies in ECOWAS Member States and his availability and readiness in “relaying any initiative that you would have liked to take to improve your contribution to the development of the regional energy sector”.
Engr. Tossou gave the assurance that ERERA, WAPP and ECREEE would continue to collaborate on the promotion of women’s leadership roles in the power sector.
The workshop was aimed at developing and fine-tuning the leadership skills of the female staff of the three ECOWAS energy institutions by applying a systematic capacity building intervention, self-discovery and evaluation.
In addition, it was to provide a platform of networking opportunities for the female workforce and help improve gender diversity in the power industry.
