Electricity utilities across West Africa are to review progress on priority cross-border transmission projects and plans for a regional electricity market.

The 21st General Assembly of the West African Power Pool (WAPP), scheduled for November 6 and 7, 2026 in Conakry, Guinea will bring together managing directors and chief executives of the 60 electricity utilities that make up the regional body to discuss issues affecting the development and integration of the region’s power sector.

A coordination meeting involving WAPP’s technical and financial partners is scheduled to precede the General Assembly on November 5.

The gathering is expected to provide an opportunity to assess the organisation’s activities, examine progress on priority electricity interconnection projects and consider the next steps towards establishing the regional electricity market.

WAPP, a specialised institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), was established to promote cooperation among national electricity utilities and support the development of an integrated regional power system.

The proposed regional market is intended to facilitate electricity exchanges among participating countries, allowing countries with available generation capacity to supply others facing shortages, subject to the availability of transmission infrastructure and agreed market arrangements.

However, the announcement of the General Assembly did not provide details of the interconnection projects to be reviewed, their completion status or the volume of electricity currently traded across national borders.

It also did not state when the regional electricity market would become fully operational or identify the outstanding technical, regulatory and financial obstacles to its establishment.

Such details will be important in assessing the extent of regional integration, particularly as electricity supply constraints and the cost of power remain significant concerns for households and businesses across the region.

Nigeria is a major participant in the regional electricity system, making progress on cross-border transmission links and electricity trading relevant to the country’s power sector. The extent to which regional exchanges can improve domestic supply, however, will depend on available generation, transmission capacity, market rules and the reliability of participating national systems.

The November meeting is expected to define WAPP’s strategic priorities for the coming years, alongside its review of ongoing regional integration efforts.

The General Assembly will be held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Conakry, with Électricité de Guinée (EDG-SA) hosting alongside the WAPP General Secretariat.