39th Coordination Meeting of the Technical and Financial Partners of WAPP

Within the framework of the organization of 17th session of the WAPP General Assembly organized in Dakar under the theme, “Implementation of Renewable Energy in the ECOWAS Electricity Market” The WAPP Secretariat organized the 39th Coordination Meeting of its Technical and Financial Partners.

This meeting brought together the representatives of WAPP Member Utilities and the WAPP's Technical and Financial Partners with whom the WAPP continues to promote and implement the interconnection of the power grid of ECOWAS member countries and establish a unified regional electricity market. The representatives of other energy institutions such as ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA), ECOWAS Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), Project Preparation and Development Unit (PPDU) of ECOWAS as well as the OMVG and TRANSCO CLSG also took part in the meeting.

The following, inter alia, Partners took part in the 39th Coordination Meeting: World Bank (WB), French Development Agency (FDA), European Union, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), African Development Bank (AfDB), West African Development Bank (BOAD/WADB), Deutsche Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), Business Sweden, European Investment Bank (EIB), ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID).

The meeting took place under the high patronage of the Minister in charge of energy of Senegal, Mme Aïssatou Sophie GLADIMA represented by Mr. Cheick MIAME, her Secretary General and was chaired by the Chairperson of the WAPP Executive Board and Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engr. (Dr.). Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz.

The Opening Ceremony statements were given by Mr. Bayaornibe DABIRE, the representative of the Commissioner in charge of Energy, Infrastructure, and Digitalization of ECOWAS; Mr. Cheick NIANE, Secretary General and representative of the Minister of Economy and Finance of Senegal, Eng. Sule Ahmed ABDULAZIZ, the Chairman of the WAPP Executive Board, Mr. Papa Mademba BITEYE, Director General of Senelec, and the WAPP Secretary General, Mr. Siengui A. KI.

The meeting provided an opportunity to review the status of implementation of the ECOWAS Master Plan for the Development of Regional Power Generation and Transmission Facilities 2019-2033, present the implementation progress of WAPP's priority projects including the CLSG, the North Core Project, the OMVG and also to express the additional financial needs following the launch of the WAPP Capacity building program e-learning platform.

Additional presentations on the Status of the WAPP Noth Core Project, Status of the OMVG Energy Project. The presentations indicated that:

1. 13 out of the 14 ECOWAS mainland countries are interconnected, and work is ongoing to interconnect the remaining country, which is Guinea Bissau by the end of the year 2022;
2. The WAPP Information and Coordination Center Project is 95% executed and shall be completed by the end of the year 2022;
3. OMVG and CLSG interconnection projects is to be completed by the end of the year 2022;
4. The Synchronization projects are ongoing and trial test were conducted in October 2022. The preparation for the launching of the Market Phase 2 that shall usher in the day-head training in addition to bilateral trading is ongoing. 15 utilities are already registered as Market participants.

The WAPP TFPs reiterated their commitment to support the WAPP and expressed their interest in financing the projects of the region.

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