New Delhi: At the 7th General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), India and France have been re-elected as president and co-president, respectively, said Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi at a press conference on Monday. India will hold the ISA presidency till 2026, said the minister while speaking to the media after inaugurating the 7th General Assembly of ISA. While India was the sole contender for the post of president, the co-presidency was contested by France and Grenada.
The ISA Assembly also selected World Bank energy specialist Ashish Khanna as its third Director-General on Monday. The other office candidates included Wisdom Ahiataku from Togobo from Ghana and Gosaye Mengistie Abayneh from Ethiopia.
The Director General of ISA plays a crucial role in supporting the Assembly in advancing the International Solar Alliance mandate. This includes supporting Member Countries in addressing common challenges and engaging in coordinated action to scale up the deployment of solar energy globally.
Wishing his successor luck, the outgoing ISA Director General, Dr Ajay Mathur, said, “As I step down from my role, I want to take a moment to welcome Mr Ashish Khanna to this incredible journey ahead warmly. Serving in this position has been an honour, and I am confident you will bring unique energy, vision, and passion to this office and role. Your leadership will undoubtedly steer this Alliance to new heights, building on the progress achieved while carving your legacy. The challenges ahead are great, but so are the opportunities. My simple advice is to trust your intuition, lean on the support around you, and know that you have the skills to make a lasting impact. I wish you the very best as you begin this new chapter.” Dr Mathur, who has led the Alliance since 2021, will conclude his tenure on March 14, 2025.
Elaborating on his plans for expanding ISA’s reach and impact, Khanna said the focus has to shift from ‘what’ to ‘how’ as most countries are aware of what needs to be done, but require assistance in reaching those goals. He added that the ISA will benefit from participating in international fora, where the motivation should be two-fold: to explore collaborations, work together, and learn from each other’s experiences. Moving forward, he said, he looks forward to building on what is working well and grooming existing partnerships, and he stressed purity of intent and passion for results.
In his current role as the head of the World Bank’s West and Central Africa programme, Khanna is leading Mission 300 for energy access to 300 million people in Africa by 2030. Khanna has also worked as the programme leader in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, leading a programme which enabled private sector investment of $20 billion in the energy sector for the first time in Egypt.
In India, as the Lead Energy Specialist at the World Bank, he worked with the MNRE on policy and regulatory reforms to enable private sector engagement in solar energy sector.
(PSU Watch– India's Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy is now on Google News. Click here to follow. Also, join PSU Watch Channel in your Telegram. You may also follow us on Twitter here and stay updated.)