Regional electricity partners have turned their attention to the last phase of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) North Core 330kV Interconnection Project, which links Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Togo, after reviewing progress that has taken it beyond 75 per cent completion.
The review is taking place at the 8th Joint Supervision Mission of the project’s financing partners, held in Abuja from 26th October to 6th November 2026. Participating countries and development partners are assessing progress, examining outstanding challenges, and exploring ways to speed up the remaining works.
Speaking on behalf of the Chairman of the WAPP Executive Board and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, the TCN General Manager for Programme Coordination, Engr. Aminu Tahir, called for sustained cooperation, timely decisions, and continued commitment from all stakeholders as the project nears completion.
He said the progress reflected years of effort by engineers, technicians, project personnel, participating governments, and development partners.
The priority now, he stressed, was to finish the outstanding construction and ensure the investment delivers reliable electricity infrastructure that supports regional power exchanges and strengthens the electricity systems of the participating countries.
WAPP Secretary General Mr Abdoulaye Dia, represented by Mr Kodjo Afidegnon, Director of Planning, Investment Programming and Environmental Safeguards (PIPES), underscored the project’s strategic importance for regional integration.
He noted that the initiative, launched in 2019, was designed to improve security of electricity supply, enable cross-border exchanges, and support the growth of the regional electricity market.
Mr Dia said implementation had been hit by insecurity along parts of the project corridor, flooding, the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, difficult political circumstances, and border closures. These factors caused delays and higher costs and led to the suspension of construction in some locations to protect project personnel from insecurity.
He said cooperation among the participating countries, national utilities, and financing partners had nonetheless produced significant progress.
In Benin, the Malanville substation has been provisionally accepted, and work on the Niger River crossing is underway. In Burkina Faso, the Ouaga Est and Ouaga Sud-Est substations, together with 33 kilometres of 225kV transmission lines connecting them to the network, have been commissioned.
In Niger, equipment installed at Niamey II and Gazaoua has been operational since July, helping to stabilise the two existing 132kV interconnection lines that supply Niger from Nigeria. In Nigeria, work continues on completing the 330kV transmission line and preparing its connection to the national grid, in coordination with relevant stakeholders.
On social and environmental fronts, the project has compensated 5,726 project-affected persons, and almost all reported grievances have been resolved. It has also electrified 170 communities in Burkina Faso and Niger and created 2,483 jobs along the project corridor.
A representative of the African Development Bank (AfDB) said the mission must be results-oriented, identifying practical steps to speed up implementation, tackle security concerns and contractor performance challenges, and protect the overall completion schedule.
The representative added that faster delivery must not come at the expense of environmental and social safeguards, health and safety, or the protection of workers and host communities.
The representative also warned that delays in any participating country would weaken the expected benefits of the regional interconnection, noting that completing critical infrastructure in Niger is essential to realising the project’s full value.
The AfDB reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the participating countries, national utilities, and WAPP in resolving outstanding challenges and completing the project.
Once finished, the project is expected to strengthen regional interconnection, facilitate cross-border power trade, and deepen cooperation among participating countries, contributing to a more integrated and reliable West African electricity market.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the WAPP North Core Project Management Unit, the Ministries of Energy and Finance in the participating countries, and the national electricity utilities of Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo.
