One initiative to overcome energy challenges in West Africa's Benin, Mali and Togo is the ‘Energy, Ecodevelopment and Resilience in Africa (EERA)’ project, which focuses on reinforcing national technical and institutional capacities and is implementing a multi-sectoral participatory approach to decision-making in each country. This goes beyond the ministries in charge of energy and includes analyses of national energy systems and policies. The project created national and regional liaison committees to promote the principles of the Smart Energy Path to decision-makers and encourage their integration into the institutional energy framework of each country. 

Check out CDKN's and HELIO International's the Inside Story on Smart Energy Pathways in West Africa