Catalysing Green Rural Job Creation with DRE in West Africa

The document highlights the potential for decentralised renewable energy (DRE) to create significant employment in West Africa, projecting that Ghana and Senegal could create over 40,000 direct DRE jobs by 2030 with appropriate policy measures. It emphasizes that DRE generates more direct jobs than utility-scale renewables and creates numerous derived jobs in agriculture and local businesses. To achieve this, the authors recommend a series of governance, financial, and social interventions, including VAT exemptions for equipment, the establishment of dedicated rural electrification agencies, and targeted training for women and youth.

• If Ghana and Senegal reach their renewable energy targets by 2030, the DRE sector is projected to provide employment to 15,465 individuals in Ghana and approximately 12,269 people in Senegal. With forward-leaning policy measures, the two countries could collectively create more than 40,000 direct jobs in the DRE sector by 2030.
• Investing in renewable energies is estimated to create nearly three times as many jobs as fossil fuels. Specifically, DRE is noted for creating more direct jobs than utility-scale renewables and facilitating an exponential number of derived jobs in sectors such as agriculture and local businesses.
• DRE serves as a mechanism for integrating informal workers into the formal economy and skilled employment, with a particular capacity to employ more women and youth across West African nations.
• To catalyse green jobs, the document recommends several policy interventions: balancing government control with financial contributions and tariffs, establishing dedicated rural electrification agencies, leveling subsidies between diesel generators and clean energy, and providing VAT exemptions and limited import duties for DRE equipment such as batteries and smart meters.
• The brief suggests enhancing the DRE workforce through technical training, certification of curricula in collaboration with ECREEE to ensure job mobility, and the adoption of the "ECOWAS Policy for Gender Mainstreaming in Energy Access" to support women entrepreneurs.

APA

Alliance for Renewable Electrification (2023). Catalysing Green Rural Job Creation with DRE in West Africa. https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/KAS-CtA-v2.pdf

Chicago

Alliance for Renewable Electrification. Catalysing Green Rural Job Creation with DRE in West Africa. 2023. https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/KAS-CtA-v2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Alliance for Renewable Electrification |title=Catalysing Green Rural Job Creation with DRE in West Africa |date=October 2023 |url=https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/KAS-CtA-v2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allianceforrenewableelectrification2023catalysing, author = {{Alliance for Renewable Electrification}}, title = {{Catalysing Green Rural Job Creation with DRE in West Africa}}, institution = {Alliance for Renewable Electrification}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/KAS-CtA-v2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }