This paper aims to review existing energy-sector and hydrogen-energy-related legal, policy, and strategy documents in the ECOWAS region. To achieve this aim, current renewable-energy-related laws, acts of parliament, executive orders, presidential decrees, administrative orders, and memoranda were analyzed. The study shows that ECOWAS countries have strived to design consistent legal instruments regarding renewable energy in developing comprehensive legislation and bylaws to consolidate it and to encourage investments in renewable energy. Despite all these countries having a legislative basis for regulating renewable energy, there are still weaknesses that revolve around the law and policy regarding its possible application in green hydrogen production and use. The central conclusion of this review paper is that ECOWAS member states presently have no official hydrogen policies nor bylaws in place. The hydrogen rise presents a challenge and opportunity for members to play an important role in the fast-growing global hydrogen market. Therefore, these countries need to reform their regulatory frameworks and align their policies by introducing green hydrogen production in order to accomplish their green economy transition for the future and to boost the continent’s sustainable development.

Green hydrogen is gaining global attention as a zero-carbon energy carrier with the potential to drive sustainable energy transitions, particularly in regions facing rising fossil fuel costs and resource depletion. In sub-Saharan Africa, financing mechanisms and structured off-take agreements are critical to attracting investment across the green hydrogen value chain, from advisory and pilot stages to full-scale deployment. While substantial funding is required to support a green economic transition, success will depend on the effective mobilization of capital through smart public policies and innovative financial instruments. This review evaluates financing mechanisms relevant to sub-Saharan Africa, including green bonds, public–private partnerships, foreign direct investment, venture capital, grants and loans, multilateral and bilateral funding, and government subsidies. Despite their potential, current capital flows remain insufficient and must be significantly scaled up to meet green energy transition targets. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, drawing on primary data from utility firms under the H₂Atlas-Africa project and secondary data from international organizations and the peer-reviewed literature. The analysis identifies that transitioning toward Net-Zero emissions economies through hydrogen development in sub-Saharan Africa presents both significant opportunities and measurable risks. Specifically, the results indicate an estimated investment risk factor of 35%, reflecting potential challenges such as financing, infrastructure, and policy readiness. Nevertheless, the findings underscore that green hydrogen is a viable alternative to fossil fuels in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly if supported by targeted financing strategies and robust policy frameworks. This study offers practical insights for policymakers, financial institutions, and development partners seeking to structure bankable projects and accelerate green hydrogen adoption across the region.

Reliable and sustainable electricity supply remains a major challenge for public infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa, where frequent grid interruptions and abundant solar resources create favorable conditions for hybrid renewable energy systems. This study presents a comprehensive techno-economic assessment of a hybrid photovoltaic–battery energy storage system–green hydrogen (PV–BESS–H₂) system designed for a public administrative building in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The system was evaluated using an annual building load profile together with locally measured solar irradiance and ambient temperature data. Dynamic simulations were performed in MATLAB/Simulink to assess the technical performance, energy flows, economic viability, and operational behavior of the proposed system. The selected configuration consists of a 77 kWp solar PV array, an 80 kWh lithium-ion battery, a 2 Nm³ h⁻¹ electrolyzer, an 8.4 kg hydrogen storage tank, and a 10.6 kW fuel cell. Annual simulations show that the system generates 140.69 MWh of solar PV electricity and achieves a self-sufficiency ratio of 98.7% while limiting the unmet load to 1.3% of the annual electricity demand. Comparative analysis demonstrates that integrating battery and hydrogen storage substantially reduces the required storage capacities compared with standalone PV–BESS and PV–H₂ configurations. The economic assessment yields a Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of USD 0.095 kWh⁻¹ and a Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) of USD 21.544 kg⁻¹. Sensitivity analysis identifies the discount rate, solar PV investment cost, electrolyzer cost, and project lifetime as the principal drivers of the system’s economic performance. The results demonstrate that the complementary operation of battery and hydrogen storage can enhance the technical and economic performance of renewable energy systems of public buildings in regions with abundant solar resources while providing a practical framework for the design and evaluation of hybrid PV–BESS–H₂ systems.

The building and public works sector is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries due to the high material intensity of infrastructure and the dependence on imported materials. In Burkina Faso, as in most African countries, environmental assessments remain limited by the lack of locally representative emission factors, creating uncertainty in carbon accounting. This study estimates emission factors for key construction materials in Burkina Faso using a simplified cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) adapted to national technical, energy, and logistical conditions. The materials analyzed include cement, steel, flat glass, aluminium, aggregates, sand, timber, ceramic tiles, paint, bitumen, and asphalt mixes. The results reveal significant variations in the carbon intensity of construction materials in the Burkina Faso context. Aluminium exhibits the highest emission factor (12.804 tCO₂/t), followed by paint (2.50 tCO₂/t), steel (1.970 tCO₂/t), Portland cement (1.060 tCO₂/t), ceramic tiles (0.99 tCO₂/t), flat glass (0.84 tCO₂/t), bitumen (0.628 tCO₂/t), asphalt mixes (0.130 tCO₂/t), timber (0.16 tCO₂/t), aggregates (0.008 tCO₂/t), and sand (0.0013 tCO₂/t). Portland cement exhibits a slightly higher emission factor than the values commonly reported in the literature (0.85–0.95 tCO₂/t), while steel, aluminium, flat glass, ceramic tiles, bitumen, asphalt mixes, timber, and paint remain within internationally reported ranges. In contrast, sand exhibits a slightly lower emission factor than typical literature values, reflecting its limited processing requirements. Aggregates and sand show the lowest emission factors due to minimal industrial processing and greater local availability. These differences are mainly driven by import dependence, long- distance maritime and road transportation, the characteristics of the national electricity mix, and local production conditions. The study supports the development of context-specific carbon assessments and environmental databases for Burkina Faso and other West African countries.