The Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has launched a joint initiative for the development of renewable energy projects in Africa. The initiative aims for capacity building for renewable electricity production and also to build awareness among the local population for future projects in the country. The two agencies will also support the pre-feasibility studies of the selected renewable energy projects. Under the proposed plan, solar projects with a cumulative capacity of 30 MWp were presented in Dosso, Maradi, and Diffa, in Niger. Additionally, three storage-integrated solar projects were proposed in Djibouti.
MASEN is confident that the deal will improve the transfer of information among the countries involved and at the same time, promote renewable energy deployment. The agency has collaborated with several African countries in the last few years; in July 2019, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Djibouti for the development of renewable energy in the country. MASEN also looks to develop green energy projects in Niger and Senegal to improve access to low-cost electricity in the countries.
Morocco is one of the torchbearers of renewable energy among the African nations and can potentially help other countries in the continent in establishing green energy infrastructure. The country is projected to have 52 per cent of its electricity required to be supplied by renewable energy by 2050 and aims to take this figure up to 96 per cent by 2050.