By Nkechi Eze
Guinea’s Prime Minister and Head of Government, Amadou Oury Bah, has called on West African countries to prioritise regional electricity complementarity over national isolation, stressing the need for stronger cooperation to achieve a reliable, efficient and integrated regional power market.
Bah made the call while declaring open the 21st General Assembly of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) in Conakry, Guinea, where energy ministers, electricity utility chief executives and international partners from the 15 ECOWAS member states gathered to review progress in regional electricity integration.
Representing President Mamadi Doumbouya, the Prime Minister urged member states to build a functional West African energy community anchored on shared standards, mutual cooperation and improved performance.
He described energy as the foundation of national sovereignty, competitiveness, social progress and stability, noting that the interconnection of the 15 countries in the sub-region demonstrated the possibilities of collective action.
Bah reaffirmed Guinea’s commitment to regional energy integration, highlighting the strategic importance of the Kaleta and Souapiti hydropower dams, alongside proposed projects including Koukoutamba, Sambangalou and Amaria.
He said the projects would strengthen Guinea’s capacity to become a major regional electricity supplier and contribute to West Africa’s energy security.
“The Republic of Guinea, under the leadership of His Excellency the President of the Republic, reaffirms its readiness to support this collective ambition and to contribute actively to the development of a more integrated, efficient, and united West African energy space,” he said.
Also speaking, Guinea’s Minister of Energy, Laye Sékou Camara, described the 21st General Assembly as an opportunity to take decisive steps towards strengthening confidence, improving governance and translating regional commitments into measurable results.
He emphasised that expanding electricity access at the national level and strengthening regional electricity exchanges were complementary objectives, warning that installed generation capacity alone did not guarantee electricity supply without adequate transmission infrastructure.
Camara described regional interconnection as a form of mutual insurance among countries, recalling how Guinea benefited from electricity support from Senegal following the fire at the Coronthie depot in December 2023.
He called for credible liquidity support mechanisms, compliance with common market rules, stronger institutional capacity and increased participation of women in the electricity sector.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the WAPP Executive Board, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, disclosed that the second phase of the regional electricity market would be launched in early 2027, introducing a competitive day-ahead electricity market in which prices would be determined by supply and demand.
He described the development as a major milestone in the region’s electricity integration efforts, noting that investments in transmission infrastructure, common operating rules and regional institutions over the past two decades must now translate into a functional electricity market.
“This is not merely a technical development, it represents a fundamental step forward,” Abdulaziz said.
He explained that the new market framework would require strict compliance with market rules, real-time exchange of reliable data, accurate metering, credible settlement arrangements and effective congestion and risk management.
The WAPP Executive Board Chairman also disclosed that ongoing institutional reforms would establish an independent system and market operator, separating system operations from market administration to promote transparency, fairness and independence in decision-making.
He, however, stressed that the transition must be carefully managed to avoid operational disruptions or undermine the continuity of services currently provided by the Information and Coordination Centre.
On financial sustainability, Abdulaziz said the proposed Liquidity Enhancement Revolving Fund was being studied and structured to strengthen confidence in electricity transactions and guarantee financial security within the regional market.
He urged member states to fulfil their statutory financial obligations, stressing that regular contributions were essential to the autonomy and operational effectiveness of WAPP.
“Statutory contributions are not an administrative formality; they are the foundation of our autonomy and our capacity to act,” he said.
Earlier, WAPP Secretary General, Abdoulaye Dia, highlighted the successful synchronisation of the electricity networks of the 15 West African countries for four hours and five minutes on November 8, 2025, describing it as a major achievement in the region’s integration efforts.
He said the next synchronisation test, scheduled for November 2026, would target 48 hours of continuous synchronisation, a development expected to consolidate existing progress and prepare the region for permanent synchronisation of its electricity networks.
Dia noted that increasing expectations around electricity access, quality of service, security of supply and competitiveness had placed greater responsibility on WAPP to transform regional interconnection into sustainable and effective cooperation.
He also highlighted progress on the regional electricity tariff framework, following decisions adopted in 2026 by the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority, including the transmission tariff methodology, tariff calculation procedure and market fee.
According to him, the General Assembly was convened under the theme, “Consolidating the Regional Electricity Market as a Lever of Transformation and Resilience for West Africa,” reflecting the importance of regional electricity trade in addressing power supply challenges and supporting economic development.
The Director-General of Electricité de Guinée (EDG), El Hadji Gando Barry, also underscored the shared responsibility of WAPP members to provide reliable, accessible and sustainable electricity, noting that regional integration would enable countries to leverage their respective energy resources and strengthen solidarity among national power systems.
A major outcome of the assembly was the signing of the Inter-grid Operators Agreement by 17 Transmission System Operators from across the regional power pool, providing a framework for coordinated operations through interconnected electricity networks.
The 21st WAPP General Assembly brought together key stakeholders in the West African electricity sector to assess progress towards a fully integrated regional electricity market, with discussions focusing on network synchronisation, the planned introduction of day-ahead and bilateral spot markets in early 2027, and the institutional arrangements required to ensure effective market operations.
The meeting reaffirmed the strategic importance of regional electricity cooperation in strengthening energy security, promoting economic growth and improving access to reliable electricity across West Africa.
