Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from 14 to 16 April 2026
The African Legal Support Facility (“ALSF”) and the African Development Bank Group (“AfDB”), under the Desert to Power Initiative, jointly organized the second and final training workshop on the Common Independent Power Producers Protocol (“IPP Common Protocol”) and its toolkit.
Held over three days in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the workshop, co-funded by the KOAFEC Trust Fund, brought together fifteen (15) participants from five Sahel countries, including government representatives, legal advisers, PPP units, and national utility representatives directly involved in the development and negotiation of solar IPP projects.
Building on the momentum of the first workshop, this second training focused on strengthening countries’ practical understanding and application of the IPP Common Protocol as a key tool for structuring bankable solar projects and accelerating private sector investment in the Sahel’s energy sector.
Participants engaged in technical sessions covering IPP project structuring, risk allocation principles, institutional responsibilities, and standardised contractual documentation, including concession agreements, power purchase agreements, grid connection agreements, and direct negotiation procedures. The programme also featured practical exercises and negotiation simulations aimed at strengthening participants’ ability to analyse, negotiate, and manage complex IPP contractual arrangements.
The workshop further encouraged peer learning and regional collaboration through interactive discussions and country experience-sharing sessions, including testimony from representatives who attended the first workshop and a strategic presentation by one of the participating DtP countries on approaches to implementing the IPP Common Protocol contractual provisions.
Reflecting on the broader impact of the training, Ms. Maude Vallée, Head of Operations at the ALSF, emphasized during the closing session that “the next step is therefore clear: to use these tools, test them on real projects and, above all, bring them to life.”
The Desert to Power Initiative seeks to accelerate the deployment of solar energy across the Sahel by supporting participating countries in adopting harmonized, efficient, and transparent approaches to developing IPP projects. Through the IPP Common Protocol and its toolkit, the ALSF supports governments in structuring transactions, allocating risks appropriately, and negotiating contracts aligned with international best practices.
As the second and final workshop under this phase of the programme, the training marks an important milestone in strengthening national capacities to prepare and implement sustainable and bankable solar energy projects. By reinforcing local expertise and reducing dependency on external transaction advisers, the initiative contributes to improving project bankability, shortening preparation timelines, and promoting transparent and competitive renewable energy development across the region.
About the ALSF
Established by the African Development Bank in 2008, the ALSF assists African governments in negotiating complex commercial transactions, providing legal and technical assistance and developing capacity building tools in the key sectors of infrastructure and public-private partnerships, energy, natural resources and extractive industries, as well as on sovereign debt and creditor disputes.
Contact us
Eve Ehoura, Communication Officer : e.ehoura@afdb.org
ALSF Website : https://www.alsf.int