Somalia has been picked to spearhead the Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT) program which is being implemented by the World Bank.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) made the announcement of Somalia’s selection into the program on Saturday.
USAID said that Somalia’s selection significantly underscores its commitment to expand clean and renewable energy sources.
Somalia now joins four other countries selected as pilots of the new World Bank clean energy programme that is expected to benefit at least 100 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.
The countries that will benefit from the roll out are Tanzania, Rwanda and Sao Tome and Principe.
The programme entails three main components; developing regional and national platforms to enable economies of scale and cost reduction strategies, expanding grid electrification through investment and technical assistance, and financing strategies to improve energy access for households, enterprises, farmers, schools, health clinics and other social needs.
