The event to be held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre from the 18th to 19th September 2025 is expected to attract over 500 participants from around the globe.
The theme for this year’s event is - ‘Accelerating Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Solutions for Growth in the ECOWAS region.’
At a joint press briefing as part of the preliminary stakeholders’ meetings held on Friday, Nani Juwara, minister for Petroleum and Energy said as the premier platform to advancing Sustainable Energy in West Africa, ESEF 2025 will bring together key stakeholders to foster regional cooperation and investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
"For a decade, ESEF has served as a strategic platform for policy dialogue, knowledge sharing and investment mobilization, and attracting over 500 participants annually."
The forum, he added, will attract ministers, regional and international organisations, leaders, financial institutions, private sector executives, researchers, students and civil society actors from across the energy, climate and development sectors.
Minister Juwara also revealed that ESEF 2025 reaffirms the commitment of strengthening institutional policy and regulatory frameworks to unlock the region's vast sustainable energy potential and accelerate the ECOWAS energy transition.
"So we welcome every one of you to The Gambia for this very important forum. It is going to be an event not to be missed."
He reminded that The Gambia, just like all other countries around the world, is transitioning from the use of fossil fuel to renewable and as such its journey has already commenced.
"We have just recently commissioned the first 23-Megawatt solar plant in Jambur in the West Coast Region, which is currently in operation."
In addition to that, he said they have few mini-grids that are also currently operating in the country, adding that notwithstanding, the government is trying to take greater steps to increase its renewable energy shares.
He revealed that recently they tendered project for a 50-megawatt solar project to be located in Jarra Soma, something that is part of a greater regional efforts in partnership with WAP.
Francis Sempore, Executive Director of ECREEE, underscored the importance of the forum, referencing that even some communities in West Africa don’t have access to clean energy services.
"So it is important to work together with the countries to accelerate the construction of the infrastructure to have a good rate of electricity for the people."
He also observed that another important area is to ensure people have access to clean cooking energy, adding that in West Africa just 20% of the population has access to clean cooking energy.
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