ECOWAS, through WAPP, launches the Regional Electricity Market Information and Coordination Centre (ICC) to facilitate energy trading among Member States

To address the problem of power outages in West Africa, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), through the West African Power Pool (WAPP), one of its specialised institutions, commissioned the Information and Coordination Centre (ICC) for the regional electricity market in Abomey Calavi, Benin, on Friday 17 November 2023.  Built with the support of the European Union, the official opening of the ICC is the demonstration of ECOWAS Member States’ commitment to work towards making power available at low cost to the West African people.

The inaugural ceremony was co-chaired by Hon. Edouard Dahome, Secretary of State for Energy, representing H.E. Patrice Talon, President of Benin, Hon. Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Energy, representing H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of Nigeria and Chair of the ECOWAS Authority, H.E. Damtien Tchintchibidja, Vice-President, representing H.E. Omar Alieu Touray, ECOWAS Commission President, H.E. Sylvia Hartleif, Ambassador, Representative of the European Union Delegation to Benin and H.E. Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships.

Several other personalities were also present at this important event, among which were Sédiko Douka, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, Eng. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, Chairman of WAPP Executive Council, Mr Siengui Ki, Secretary General of WAPP, Mr Kwawu Mensan Gaba, representative of the World Bank, Directors, and representatives of WAPP member electricyr companies, ECOWAS and WAPP partners, the Mayor, traditional chiefs and people of Abomey Calavi.

The inaugural ceremony featured rich cultural performances. Welcoming the guests, the Mayor of Abomey-Calavi, Angelo Ahouandjinou, expressed his delight and that of the people of Abomey-Calavi on the choice of his municipality as the location of WAPP and ICC headquarters. Thereafter, the Secretary General of WAPP, the Representative of the Prefect of the Atlantic, the Representative of the World Bank as well as the Head of the European Union Delegation to Benin, welcomed the initiative and the decision by ECOWAS to pool its energy resources together for inclusive development in their respective speeches.

“The completion of the WAPP Information and Communication Centre underlines our strong commitment to the transformation of clean energy in West Africa as part of our Global Gateway strategy in the region,” said Mrs Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships.

Speaking on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Vice-President Damtien Tchintchibidja recalled that the road to setting up the ICC had been long. She then reiterated ECOWAS’ gratitude to the Benin authorities for agreeing to host the WAPP and ICC headquarters in that country.  She also extended gratitude to partners for their support. She also noted that “the establishment of ICC will help to raise the rate of energy transactions, currently at 10% in the sub-region“.

The official launch of ICC was conducted by Hon. Edouard Dahomey, Benin’s Secretary of State for Energy, representing President Patrice Talon.  In his speech, he reaffirmed the commitment of the Beninese Head of State and his entire government for supporting large-scale projects in the power sector for the benefit of the population.

The ICC is a modern infrastructure equipped with the latest technology. Funded with a EUR 38 million grant from the European Union, the centre’s construction and human capacity-building will ensure real-time monitoring of the sub-regional electricity market in terms of production, availability, and trade between ECOWAS Member States.

The opening of the Centre is the result of more than two decades of hard work by players in the electricity sector, in particular WAPP’s technical and financial partners, to interconnect the electricity grids of all ECOWAS Member States.  Less than twenty-five years after its creation, WAPP has already achieved a great deal, with 5,748 km of 330 kV and 225 kV high-voltage lines built, 2,414 MW of electrical power (hydro, gas and solar) installed, 2,763 km of high-voltage lines and 2,455 MW of production, mainly from renewable resources, under way.

All these projects are geared towards increasing and strengthening energy exchange in the region and make the West African power pool more attractive. The ultimate aim of setting up the regional market is to end the era of energy crisis in the ECOWAS region and provide Member States with accessible, sustainable, and affordable electricity to ensure economic prosperity.

The ICC is now operational and is already managing the bilateral market, which is expected to be launched in 2028, as well as the pilot phase of the competitive market. Apart from the technical infrastructure of the energy exchange, it also accommodates the administrative offices of the WAPP Secretariat. The Centre covers an area of 5,000 m2 built on a 3.75-hectare site in the Commune of Abomey-Calavi, in the northern suburbs of Cotonou, the capital of Benin.