On 27 February 2024, at a workshop in Banjul convened by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MOPE) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) United for Efficiency (U4E) initiative, participants formally validated the results of a market assessment carried out to identify the current status of air conditioners and refrigeration appliances in the country. On 28 February 2024 the workshop continued with consultation with the participants on the development of a National Cooling Action Plan (NCAP).

The workshop was undertaken as part of the Leapfrogging to Energy-Efficient and Climate-Friendly Air Conditioners and Refrigerators in The Gambia project. The project is funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Programme and is being implemented by MOPE as the focal ministry and Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MOFEA) as the GCF National Designated Authority, with the support of UNEP U4E. Its objective is to support the development of a NCAP (National Cooling Action Plan) and a legislative framework based on Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and labels for energy-efficient and climate-friendly room air conditioners and residential refrigerating appliances in The Gambia.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Amie Njie, the Permanent Secretary at MOPE, stated that climate change and the deterioration of natural resources are intensifying levels of poverty, inequality and deprivation around the world. She added that challenges exist for vulnerable communities in least developing countries like The Gambia.

“As such, there is a need for a more climate-resilient development pathway. This is particularly important in The Gambia. As expressed in our National Determined Contribution (NDC), climate change, and more frequent and severe droughts pose serious risks to sustaining poverty reduction and broader development goals.”

She went on to say, “This resilience cooling project aims to develop an integrated policy strategy that results in a comprehensive legislative framework for energy-efficient air conditioners and refrigerators in the country that will ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

In addition to key personnel from MOPE, the workshops were attended by representatives of the Policy Working Group for the project, MOFEA, Ministry of Environment Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR), Ministry of Gender and Women’s Affairs (MGWA), The Gambia Standards Bureau (TGSB), Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), National Environmental Agency (NEA), Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBOS), the Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA), and the Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Technician Association of The Gambia.

The market assessment is the first main activity to be carried out by the project. Its aim was to gather baseline data to guide the deployment of energy-efficient and climate-friendly domestic refrigerators and room air-conditioners, as replacement for inefficient and climate-unfriendly ones currently in use in majority of homes and businesses in The Gambia. It examined the refrigerating appliances and room air-conditioners in the residential sector and related sectors, and also covered supply chain actors, as well as government, financial institutions and the hotel industry.

The specific objectives were to:

• Identify the current status of air conditioners and refrigerators in the country as well as key stakeholders and assess their capacity.
• Define potential market segments and market size.
• Identify barriers and opportunities in the refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector.
• Highlight consumer preferences, considering technical and financial factors.
• Establish energy savings potential for The Gambia.

The results of the market assessment in relation to these objectives were presented by Lamin K. Marong in the morning of the validation workshop and this was followed by a frank discussion on the scope of the market assessment and the validity of the results.

In the afternoon, the recommendations developed based on the results were presented. These included:

• A gradual ban of the importation of inefficient and climate-unfriendly second hand ACs and refrigerators.
• Provision of tax incentives to encourage importation of energy efficient air conditioners and refrigerators.
• Revision and adaptation of ECOWAS MEPS for national adoption, with strict enforcement through regulations.
• Development of a national energy label scheme.
• Embarking on a vigorous communications campaign and to raise awareness of the benefits of the use of energy efficient appliances.

The first day of the workshop concluded with formal validation of the results of the market assessment and adoption of the recommendations by the participants. These will form the foundation for further actions under the project.

In the continuation of the workshop on 28 February 2024, Mzwandile Thwala of UNEP-U4E set the scene for the day with a presentation on the NCAP report structure and the data requirements needed for the various sectors to be considered, such as space cooling in buildings, food cold chain, health care cold chain, mobile air conditioning (transportation), industrial processing cooling. This was followed by breakout sessions to facilitate brainstorming on the data collection process for these important cooling sectors.

These discussions focused on the framework for the NCAP and the thematic working groups required, including a research and development working group; the need to access additional climate finance in order to address the grave consequences of climate change; the need for an appropriate legislative framework with appropriate policies and regulations to support the executable plan; and the strong coordination role that will need to be played by the projects policy working group to ensure successful development of the NCAP.

The next steps following the workshop will be to submit the final version of the market assessment to the Minister of Petroleum and Energy for final signoff and to follow up the discussions from the breakout groups on the NCAP consultation with detailed data collection and analysis and begin drafting of the NCAP.

For more information on the project, contact U4E’s Patrick Blake at patrick.blake@un.org, or Mzwandile Thwala at mzwandile.thwala@un.org.

Alternatively, you can download a copy of the project factsheet from the U4E website.

Copies of the presentations from the workshop can also be downloaded from the U4E website.