Dakar, Oct 14 (APS) – The city of Dakar wants to position itself as a model of global living in terms of energy efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, declared its mayor, Barthélémy Dias.
“Faced with these challenges, we made the decision to position Dakar as a model of global living in terms of energy efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
Barthélémy Dias spoke during the official launch ceremony of the ”Metropolitan Governance of the Energy Transition (MGET)”, an initiative aimed at “strengthening and continuing, in a metropolitan context, the process of improving the governance of the ecological and energy transition initiated by the city of Dakar”.
According to him, “the city of Dakar has already adopted numerous strategies to promote renewable energies and initiate a transition towards a more sustainable future”.
He cited the launch of work to install solar panels in public places, but especially symbolic ones, such as the Liberté 3 mosques and the Grand Mosque of the Sanitized Parcels.
Other places of worship including the Massalikul Jinane Grand Mosque, the Omani mosque, the Mosque of the Divinity, the Cambérène mausoleum will follow, said Barthélémy Dias, stressing that “the Dakar Cathedral has already been connected to this clean energy” .
In his opinion, ”these efforts will be amplified by the installation of clean energy systems in other public buildings, such as the Ouakam geriatric center or the middle and high schools in the city of Dakar”.
”This will allow us to continue to reduce the city’s energy bill, thereby strengthening economic resilience in the face of the challenges of climate change,” he explained.
Challenges to overcome
According to the mayor, Dakar faces “major challenges”. ”Its vulnerability to climate change, combined with a strong dependence on fossil fuels, causes frequent energy shortages and this often results in high electricity costs for our citizens,” he stressed.
For him, ”this situation is not viable, (…), because energy control is an essential condition for economic and social development”.
”Without a reliable source of energy, our ability to grow and prosper is severely limited,” he acknowledged.
The financing of the MGET in the amount of more than 1.5 billion FCFA is made possible thanks to the “valuable” support of the EU and Metropolis, the global association of mayors of large metropolises, said the mayor. from Dakar.
The initiative comes, according to him, ”reinforce the commitment of the City of Dakar, in the long term, for better energy management through optimal governance and the promotion of good energy efficiency practices” ‘.
Partner engagement
The representative of the European Union (EU), Simon Vanden Broeke, welcomed ”this excellent initiative where participating cities like Dakar commit to improving urban governance for an ecological and energy transition”.
”This project is part of the transformation of the city of Dakar towards a smart, low-carbon city,” he explained.
Mr. Vanden Broeke said that ”the EU wants to work with its partners like Senegal to complete this green transition”.
The Secretary General of Metropolis, Dr Jordi Vaquer, said he was optimistic about the success of this initiative to install solar panels. He said the presence of the sun is an added advantage.
”We are going to show Africa and the world that not only is it possible, but that it is effective. This is the most effective way to make this transition with local authorities,” he said.
CS/OID/ABB
