By Stella Odueme
Guinea’s Prime Minister, Amadou Oury Bah, has called on West African countries to strengthen regional electricity cooperation, stressing the need for complementarity among national power systems rather than operating in isolation.
Bah made the call while opening the 21st General Assembly of the West African Power Pool (WAPP), held in Conakry, Guinea, where energy ministers, electricity utility executives and international partners from the 15 ECOWAS member states gathered to discuss regional power integration.
Representing President Mamadi Doumbouya, the Prime Minister said energy remained central to national sovereignty, economic competitiveness, social development and regional stability.
He urged member states in a statement made available on Wednesday to build a unified West African energy community founded on shared standards, effective governance and collective performance.
Bah reaffirmed Guinea’s commitment to regional electricity integration, highlighting the country's hydropower potential through the Kaleta and Souapiti dams, as well as proposed projects, including Koukoutamba, Sambangou and Amaria.
He said the projects positioned Guinea to become a major electricity supplier within the sub-region and contribute to strengthening regional energy security.
Addressing the gathering, Guinea’s Minister of Energy, Laye Sékou Camara, described the assembly as an opportunity to translate regional commitments into concrete results through improved governance, institutional discipline and financial accountability.
He stressed that expanding electricity access nationally and strengthening regional power exchanges were complementary objectives.
According to him, installed generation capacity alone does not guarantee electricity supply without adequate transmission infrastructure and the ability to deliver power to consumers.
Camara also recalled Guinea’s experience of receiving electricity support from Senegal following the fire at the Coronthie depot in December 2023, describing regional interconnection as a form of mutual security among countries.
He called for stronger financial mechanisms, compliance with common regulations, institutional capacity development and increased participation of women in the energy sector.
Also speaking, Chairman of the WAPP Executive Board, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, disclosed that the second phase of the regional electricity market would commence in early 2027.
He explained that the phase would introduce a day-ahead electricity market, allowing prices for cross-border electricity transactions to be determined by supply and demand under a transparent and non-discriminatory framework.
Abdulaziz said the development would mark a significant transition from infrastructure investment to a fully operational regional electricity market.
He noted that the process would require strict compliance with market regulations, reliable real-time data exchange, accurate metering, credible settlement arrangements and effective management of transmission congestion and operational risks.
The WAPP chairman further disclosed that ongoing institutional reforms would establish an independent system and market operator, separating system operations from market management to promote transparency and fairness.
He, however, emphasised that the transition must be carefully managed to avoid disruptions to existing operations and maintain the continuity of services provided by the Information and Coordination Centre.
Abdulaziz also highlighted the importance of financial stability in regional electricity transactions, identifying the proposed Liquidity Enhancement Revolving Fund as a mechanism for strengthening confidence in the market.
He urged member states to fulfil their statutory financial obligations, describing regular contributions as essential to WAPP’s institutional autonomy and effectiveness.
Earlier, WAPP Secretary-General, Abdoulaye Dia, identified the synchronisation of electricity networks across the 15 West African countries as a major achievement in regional integration.
Dia recalled that the regional networks successfully maintained synchronisation for four hours and five minutes on November 8, 2025.
He said a further test scheduled for November 2026, targeting 48 hours of continuous synchronisation, would consolidate the achievement and prepare the ground for permanent synchronisation of the regional electricity network.
He noted that growing expectations for reliable electricity supply, service quality, competitiveness and improved access had increased the importance of WAPP in advancing regional cooperation.
Dia also highlighted progress in establishing a regional electricity tariff framework, supported by decisions adopted in 2026 by the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority.
The decisions cover transmission tariff methodology, tariff calculation procedures and market fees.
The assembly, held under the theme, “Consolidating the Regional Electricity Market as a Lever of Transformation and Resilience for West Africa,” examined progress towards a fully integrated regional electricity market and the role of cross-border electricity trade in addressing the sub-region's power challenges.
Welcoming delegates, the Director-General of Electricité de Guinée (EDG), El Hadji Gando Barry, underscored the collective responsibility of WAPP members to ensure reliable, accessible and sustainable electricity.
He said regional integration would enable countries to maximise their different energy resources while strengthening solidarity among national electricity systems.
A major outcome of the meeting was the signing of the Inter-grid Operators Agreement by 17 Transmission System Operators within the regional power pool to facilitate coordinated operations across interconnected electricity networks.
The assembly also reviewed the progress made in moving West Africa from bilateral electricity arrangements towards a functional regional electricity market, with the planned introduction of day-ahead and bilateral spot markets expected to expand cross-border electricity trading.