Scoping mission and online MESSAGE training course
31 July to 4 August 2017
IRENA conducted a scoping mission to Sierra Leone, to discuss with key stakeholders, assess national energy planning gaps and needs, and define the Programme timeline. The scoping mission included a kick-off workshop, jointly organized by the Ministry of Energy and IRENA, where the key stakeholders agreed on the membership of the national working team and programme steering committee, as well as on immediate next steps and responsibilities for data collection and preparation. IRENA staff also held bilateral meetings with key stakeholders – these meetings served to further scope out the existing initiatives and capacity in the country and identify energy planning gaps/needs.
7 May to 11 May 2018
The capacity building activities under the Programme were formally kicked off with a preparatory one-week online training course on the use of the MESSAGE software. This online training programme was provided at the courtesy of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in coordination with IRENA. The training familiarized participants with the MESSAGE software and the structure of IRENA's System Planning Test (SPLAT) model. In follow-up to the online training, the national working team started populating a national SPLAT model for Sierra Leone, with available country data.