By SIMEON OGOEGBULEM
The Prime Minister of Guinea, Amadou Oury Bah, has made a strong case for 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 on Tuesday 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.
He urged member states to build a functional West African energy community anchored on shared standards, mutual cooperation and improved performance.
Bah 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.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed Guinea’s commitment to regional energy integration, highlighting the strategic importance of the Kaleta and Souapiti hydropower dams, alongside proposed power projects in 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 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.
Earlier, the Chairman of WAAP 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.
Abdulaziz 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.
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.
