The Prime Minister of Guinea, Amadou Oury Bah, has called on West African countries to prioritise regional electricity complementarity over national isolation, stressing the need for stronger cooperation to build an integrated and reliable energy market across the sub-region.
Bah made the call while opening the 21st General Assembly of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) in Conakry, Guinea, where he represented President Mamadi Doumbouya.
He urged member states to build a common West African energy community anchored on shared standards, effective governance and collective performance, describing electricity as fundamental to national sovereignty, economic competitiveness, social progress and regional stability.
Highlighting Guinea’s commitment to regional energy integration, the Prime Minister identified the Kaleta and Souapiti hydropower dams, alongside planned projects such as Koukoutamba, Sambangou and Amaria, as strategic assets capable of positioning the country as a major electricity supplier to the sub-region.
He reaffirmed Guinea’s readiness to contribute to a more integrated, efficient and united West African energy market.
Also addressing the Assembly, Guinea’s Minister of Energy, Laye Sékou Camara, said the meeting must translate regional commitments into concrete decisions, stronger governance and measurable results.
He stressed that WAPP’s effectiveness depended on members’ discipline, particularly compliance with institutional obligations and regular payment of statutory contributions.
Camara noted that expanding national electricity access and strengthening regional power exchanges were complementary objectives, warning that installed generation capacity did not necessarily translate into electricity availability without adequate transmission infrastructure.
He described regional interconnection as a form of mutual insurance among countries, recalling how Guinea benefited from electricity support from Senegal following the December 2023 fire at the Coronthie depot.
In his remarks, 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 competition through a day-ahead market in which electricity prices between participating countries would be determined by supply and demand.
He described the development as a major milestone in regional electricity integration, noting that investments in transmission infrastructure, common operating rules and institutions over the past two decades must now translate into a functional electricity market.
According to him, the transition would require strict market discipline, real-time data exchange, reliable metering and settlement systems, as well as effective congestion and risk management.
Abdulaziz further disclosed that ongoing institutional reforms would establish an independent system and market operator, separating system operations from market management to promote fairness, transparency and independence in decision-making.
He, however, emphasised the need to ensure a smooth transition without disrupting the operational continuity currently provided by WAPP’s Information and Coordination Centre.
On financial sustainability, the WAPP Executive Board Chairman highlighted the proposed Liquidity Enhancement Revolving Fund as a mechanism for strengthening confidence and securing electricity market transactions.
He also urged member countries to prioritise the payment of statutory contributions, describing them as essential to the organisation’s autonomy and operational effectiveness.
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 significant achievement in regional power integration.
He said the synchronisation test scheduled for November 2026, targeting 48 hours of continuous operation, would consolidate the achievement and prepare the region for permanent synchronisation of its electricity networks.
Dia said WAPP had a responsibility to transform regional interconnection into effective and sustainable operational cooperation capable of improving electricity access, security of supply and economic competitiveness.
He also highlighted progress in establishing a regional electricity tariff framework, supported by decisions adopted in 2026 by the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority, covering transmission tariff methodology, tariff calculation procedures and market fees.
The Secretary General said the Assembly’s theme, “Consolidating the Regional Electricity Market as a Lever of Transformation and Resilience for West Africa,” reflected the importance of regional cooperation in addressing electricity supply challenges.
Welcoming delegates, the Director-General of Electricité de Guinée (EDG), El Hadji Gando Barry, underscored the shared responsibility of WAPP members to provide reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity, noting that regional integration would enable countries to leverage their different energy resources and strengthen solidarity among national electricity systems.
A major outcome of the Assembly was the signing of the Inter-grid Operators Agreement by 17 transmission system operators across the regional power pool, providing a framework for coordinated operations through interconnected electricity networks.
The 21st WAPP General Assembly brought together energy ministers, chief executives of electricity utilities and international partners from across the West African region to review progress in regional energy integration and advance the transition towards a fully operational regional electricity market.
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