𝗖Ô𝗧𝗘 𝗗’𝗜𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗥𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗣𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗛𝗬𝗗𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗘𝗡 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗚𝗬

Côte d’Ivoire has launched the development of its National Green Hydrogen Strategy to assess the potential of green hydrogen and identify the conditions required for its development in the country.

The launch workshop, held in Abidjan, brought together the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, WASCAL and the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). The Ministry is leading the process in collaboration with WASCAL, with financial support from BMFTR.

The workshop brought together participants from public administration, WASCAL, the private sector and technical and financial partners, alongside media representatives. The strategy development process will assess Côte d’Ivoire’s potential for green hydrogen and provide a basis for defining national priorities and policy directions for the sector.

In his address, Mr Akoussi Jacob, Technical Adviser for Energy and representative of the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy highlighted the importance of developing a green hydrogen strategy based on Côte d’Ivoire’s national circumstances and priorities.

“For Côte d’Ivoire, it is neither a question of following a trend nor of mechanically transposing models developed elsewhere. It is first and foremost a matter of determining, based on our national realities and priorities, under what conditions green hydrogen could contribute to our development.”

Since 2020, WASCAL has combined research, training, technology demonstration and policy support in renewable energy and green hydrogen, including its contribution to the ECOWAS regional green hydrogen framework. The launch in Abidjan takes this work into a national policy process, with WASCAL directly supporting Côte d’Ivoire’s first national green hydrogen strategy.

Delivering the Executive Director’s message on behalf of WASCAL, Professor Koné Daouda outlined how the institution has approached renewable energy and green hydrogen through research, training, technology demonstration and policy support.

“Our approach does not stop at scientific research. It brings together training, research, technology demonstration and policy support to help create the conditions for the development of renewable energy and green hydrogen in West Africa. We are convinced that no energy transition can be sustainable without clear policy and strategic frameworks”.

The process will bring together public institutions, researchers, universities, private-sector actors, regional organisations and development partners to develop a strategy reflecting Côte d’Ivoire’s specific context and priorities.

WASCAL’s support for Côte d’Ivoire’s national strategy follows its technical contribution to the development of the ECOWAS Regional Green Hydrogen Policy and its implementation framework for 2023-2030 and 2031-2050. Côte d’Ivoire is the first WASCAL member state whose national green hydrogen strategy is being developed with direct support from the institution.