Praia, June 20^th, 2022 – The ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency welcomes its new Executive Director, Mr. Jean Francis Semporé, marking a new era for the Sustainable Energy Sector in the ECOWAS region.

Speaking at a brief welcome ceremony, Mr. Francis Semporé, expressed delight and satisfaction in joining ECREEE as the New Executive Director. Mr. Semporé congratulated the staff for the accomplishments since the establishment of ECREEE twelve years ago. He however stressed the importance of teamwork and commitment as crucial towards achieving goals of the ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Centre ECREEE.

The New Executive Director also advised the staff to work with integrity, transparency, and ethical standards in the execution of their duties. Mr. Semporé also emphasized the need for an efficient project implementation program at ECREEE aimed at promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions in the region, thereby impacting positively in the lives of millions of ECOWAS citizens.

Mr. Semporé has an extensive experience in the energy sector. Prior to joining the ECREEE, he was with the West African Power Pool (WAPP) based in Cotonou (Benin) as Program Officer. Previously, he spent nearly twenty years at the 2iE Institute in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) with several positions of responsibility. These includes (Advisor to the General Director in charge of Institutional Development, Prospective and Digital, Director of the Technopole, Director of International Relations, Director of Continuing Education and Distance Learning, Director of the e-Education Centre, Head of the master’s degree program in Energy Engineering). Before joining the 2iE Institute, Mr. Semporé worked in the private sector in the fields of Energy, Air Conditioning and Industrial Refrigeration in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal. He held the positions of Design Engineer, Business Engineer, and Country Agency Manager.

Senior Energy Expert, Specialist in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Mr. Semporé participated in the mobilization of resources from technical and financial partners for the implementation of many programs and projects in the fields of Energy and Capacity Building. To date, he has a professional experience of twenty-five years with the coordination of more than thirty programs and projects in the areas of Energy Access, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Policy, Gender Mainstreaming in Energy, Rural Electrification as well as Entrepreneurship and Capacity Building in West Africa.

Mr. Semporé holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a Specialized master´s degree in Energy and Industrial Refrigeration Engineering. He is certified in Business Management from HEC Paris and has a Diploma of Specialized Training in Regulation and Energy Market from Mines ParisTech.