World Bank Signs $64.2 Million Funding Agreement with Togo for Solar Electrification Project

The World Bank and the Togolese government have just signed a $64.2 million financing agreement as a part of the RESPITE program initiated by the World Bank. The funding will enable the electrification of at least 60 localities in the country via renewable electricity.

The Regional Solar Emergency Response Project (RESPITE) was approved by the World Bank in December 2022 for a total amount of $311 million in International Development Association financing. The program aims to rapidly increase grid-connected solar energy capacity in West Africa and strengthen regional integration of the power sector.

The new program focuses on four African countries including Chad, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo. In Togo, RESPITE will develop a 25 MWp solar photovoltaic plant in the Dalwak commune, located near Daopaong city in the Savanes Region. 

The solar project will be equipped with a 40 MWh battery storage system and is expected to provide electricity supply for at least 60 localities in northern Togo. The World Bank financing will enable electrification for 12,100 rural households and the installation of more than 1800 street lamps for public lighting.

The financing agreement was signed between Sani Yaya, Togolese Minister of Economy and Finance, and Coralie Gevers, the World Bank’s Director of Operations for Togo. According to the Togolese government, the World Bank’s initiative will accelerate the achievement of the electrification strategy objectives set out in the country’s Roadmap 2025.

The RESPITE program was launched last month in Liberia with $96 million in World Bank funding. The program will enable the construction of a 60 MWp solar PV plant near the Mount Coffee hydropower plant in Montserrado County.