Abuja, 11^th August 2018  . Sectorial experts from Member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have called for the development of national policies for the popularization of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) which will increase the access to modern energy such as electrical services and modern cooking fuels in the region.

In a two-day validation workshop of the regional strategy for the popularization of LPG in ECOWAS which ended on 10^th August 2018 in Abuja, Nigeria, the experts called for a minimum target penetration rate of 30% by 2030 with emphasis being placed on rural communities’ access to LPG.

The experts noted that access to LPG in the ECOWAS region remains limited with Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Senegal accounting for 85% of the total 1.2 million tons of LPG being consumed amongst Member States.

They also noted that the consumption rate of LPG in rural areas stood at approximately 15% due to the accessibility and affordability of the product and equipment such as gas cylinders in such areas.

Hence the team of experts recommended that a regional monitoring committee be established to define measurable indicators of the popularization of LPG in the region as well as identify mechanisms to strengthen local gas cylinder factories and create new ones with the partnership and support of the private sector.

The ECOWAS Commissions’ Director of Energy Mr. Bayaornibe Dabire reiterated the Commissions’ commitment to cleaner sources of energy which he said will not only boost the economy of the region but also the health of Community citizens and the welfare of the environment.

‘It is for this reason that the Commission moved to put in place a regional strategy with a proposed implementation time line of 2019-2030 that will promote and accelerate people’s access to LPG which is a cleaner source of energy than biomass’, he said.

The regional strategy for the popularization of LPG will commence after its adoption by the statutory bodies of ECOWAS.