Operationalization of the Oyo Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

Tendering Text: Operationalization of the Oyo Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

The project will support the design and operationalization of the proposed Oyo Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) in the Republic of Congo. Recognizing the potential role of the proposed Oyo Centre in contributing to the development of the sustainable energy sector and achievement of SDGs in Republic of Congo and the Central Africa region in general, the Government of the Republic of Congo approached UNIDO to support the design and operationalization of this institution. Furthermore, on 17th July 2019, UNIDO signed a joint declaration with Eni S.p.A to promote public-private sector collaboration to achieve SDGs. This joint declaration was signed by UNIDO Director General Mr. LI Yong and Eni’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Claudio Descalzi in the presence of Director General for Development Cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation Mr. Giorgio Marrapodi. The joint declaration identified the proposed Oyo Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Energy efficiency as one of the key areas of potential collaboration.

The proposed Oyo Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) seeks to enable innovative solutions and promote markets for renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and services to enhance socio-economic development in the Republic of the Congo and potentially across the ECCAS and CEMAC region. Ultimately, the center's objective is to contribute towards the achievement of SDG 7 increasing access to modern energy services and improve energy security in the region thereby supporting the region’s economic and social development in an environmentally benign manner. This will be achieved through the following core activities:

• Policy analysis and implementation support;
• Capacity building and skills development along RE/EE value-chain;
• Applied research and innovation;
• Entrepreneurship and business development;
• Finance for RE and EE.

The establishment of the Centre is in line with international and sub-regional frameworks including the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, the Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the CEMAC White Paper for an integrated regional policy for universal access to modern energy services and economic and social development 2014-2030. Important reference documents are the Renewable Energy Road Map for Central Africa, developed by IRENA and ECCAS, the ECCAS Green Economy and Renewable Energy Vision, the ECCAS Vision 2025, as well as the CEMAC White Paper and Energy Policy 2035. The establishment of ESEC is complementary to the efforts to expand the regional power market through the Central African Power Pool (CAPP) and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). Some of the countries are also part of the Southern African Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) and the East African Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EACREEE).

The proposed project will build upon the strong experience, achievements and lessons learnt from the established and operationalized Regional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Centers within the Global Network for Sustainable Energy Centres Programme (GN-SEC). This programme has already successfully been developed and implemented by UNIDO in several regions including, the SADC, ECOWAS and EAC region. The envisaged project is foreseen to expand on the GN-SEC programme (https://www.gn-sec.net/) in the ECCAS region that is currently under development, with a focus on the Republic of Congo and the country’s role within the region.

It is envisaged to fully align the scope and programmed activities of the Oyo Center with regional processes and structures in the ECCAS. This includes seeking synergies with the Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency for Central Africa (CEREEAC), which is currently undergoing an approval process (https://www.gn-sec.net/content/eccas-centre-sustainable-energy).