Guinea’s Prime Minister and Head of Government, Amadou Oury Bah, has called on West African countries to prioritise regional electricity complementarity over national isolation, urging Member States of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) to build a unified energy community as the organisation moves towards a competitive regional electricity market.
Opening the 21st WAPP General Assembly in Conakry on behalf of President Mamadi Doumbouya, Bah said energy remains central to sovereignty, economic competitiveness, social progress and stability.
He highlighted the historic interconnection of the fifteen ECOWAS countries as evidence of the success of collective action and reaffirmed Guinea’s commitment to regional integration.
The Prime Minister also positioned Guinea as a future regional energy hub, citing the strategic role of the Kaleta and Souapiti hydropower dams and planned projects at Koukoutamba, Sambangou and Amaria. He said these investments would enable Guinea to supply electricity across the sub-region and strengthen West African energy solidarity.
The assembly focused on consolidating the regional electricity market, with WAPP leaders announcing major milestones, including the planned launch in early 2027 of the second phase of the regional electricity market.
According to WAPP Executive Board Chairman, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, the new phase will introduce a day-ahead electricity market where prices will be determined transparently by supply and demand.
Describing the development as a major step forward, Abdulaziz said two decades of investment in transmission infrastructure, regional regulations and institutions must now deliver a fully functioning market.
He stressed the need for market discipline, real-time data exchange, accurate metering, reliable settlement mechanisms, and effective risk and congestion management.
He further revealed that ongoing institutional reforms will create an independent system and market operator to guarantee fairness, transparency and operational independence.
He also underscored the importance of financial security, saying the proposed Liquidity Enhancement Revolving Fund and the prompt payment of statutory contributions were critical to the market’s success.
Earlier, WAPP Secretary-General Abdoulaye Dia highlighted progress towards full regional network synchronisation. He recalled that all fifteen West African countries successfully achieved four hours and five minutes of synchronisation on 8 November 2025 and said a forty-eight-hour synchronisation test planned for November 2026 would pave the way for permanent synchronisation.
Dia noted that growing expectations around reliability, affordability and universal access to electricity make regional cooperation more important than ever.
He also pointed to advances in regional tariff regulation following key decisions adopted by the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority in 2026.
Guinea’s Minister of Energy, Laye Sékou Camara, used the occasion to urge Member States to transform commitments into tangible outcomes through stronger governance, compliance with obligations and regular payment of statutory contributions.
He described interconnection as “mutual insurance” for member states and cited Guinea’s reliance on energy support from Senegal following the December 2023 fire at the Coronthie depot.
Camara also linked regional energy integration to Guinea’s Simandou 2040 development programme and the objective of universal electricity access.
He called for stronger institutional capacity, credible liquidity support mechanisms, adherence to common rules and increased participation of women in the energy sector.
Welcoming delegates, Electricité de Guinée (EDG) Director General El Hadji Gando Barry reiterated the shared responsibility of WAPP members to provide reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity, saying regional integration enables countries to leverage resource complementarities and strengthen energy solidarity.
A key outcome of the assembly was the signing of an Inter-grid Operators Agreement by seventeen transmission system operators, establishing the framework for operational cooperation across the regional grid.
The 21st WAPP General Assembly brought together energy ministers, utility chief executives, independent power producers, development partners and industry stakeholders from the fifteen ECOWAS member states under the theme: “Consolidating the Regional Electricity Market as a Lever of Transformation and Resilience for West Africa.”
Participants agreed that West Africa’s regional electricity market has evolved from a long-term aspiration into a practical reality essential for economic growth, resilience and universal energy access, with Guinea emerging as a central player in the region’s energy future.
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