Nigeria and other West African countries are under pressure to advance regional electricity integration as ECOWAS reviews efforts to establish a cross-border power market and strengthen electricity exchanges among member states.

The development comes as the West African Power Pool (WAPP) prepares for its 21st General Assembly in Conakry, Guinea, on November 6 and 7, where 60 member utilities are expected to review priority electricity interconnection projects and progress towards establishing the regional market.

The preparations coincide with a monitoring and evaluation mission by members of the ECOWAS Parliament to WAPP headquarters in Abomey-Calavi, Benin, to assess the implementation of a programme promoting a climate-friendly regional electricity market.

Nigeria’s participation in the regional initiative is significant, as the country is represented in WAPP through electricity-sector institutions and companies, including the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO).

The regional market is intended to facilitate electricity trade across national borders, supported by interconnected transmission networks and coordination among participating countries. For Nigeria, the extent of participation and potential gains will depend on the capacity of its domestic electricity system to support reliable cross-border exchanges.

The programme, known as the Promotion of a Climate-Friendly Regional Electricity Market (ProCEM II), is supported by German Development Cooperation and implemented through WAPP, the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) and the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE).

According to a WAPP statement, the parliamentary delegation examined the programme’s progress, results and challenges, with discussions focusing on regional energy integration, electricity market development and cooperation among the implementing institutions.

The delegation was led by the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Committee on Energy and Mines, Hon. Fanta Conte. Other officials at the opening ceremony included WAPP Secretary-General, Abdoulaye Dia, and the Resident Director of the German development agency GIZ in Benin and ProCEM II Programme Manager, André Roenne.

During the mission, the parliamentarians received briefings on WAPP’s activities, including the development of electricity interconnection infrastructure, coordination of the regional power system and efforts to establish the regional electricity market.

They also visited WAPP’s Information and Coordination Centre, where they were shown facilities used to monitor cross-border electricity exchanges in real time.

The delegation commended the centre and its contribution to regional power integration, while expressing interest in further engagement with the institution.

At the end of the mission, the parliamentarians proposed an information session in Abuja in the coming months to deepen their understanding of the regional electricity market and the benefits it could deliver to populations across West Africa.

The proposed Abuja engagement comes as WAPP’s member utilities prepare to review the status of priority interconnection projects and the progress made towards regional electricity trading at the forthcoming General Assembly.

The October mission formed part of ECOWAS efforts to strengthen parliamentary oversight and institutional cooperation in developing an integrated regional electricity system.