The 8th joint supervision mission of the West African Power Pool financing partners, which wrapped up recently in Abuja, announced that the North Core 330kV Interconnection Project connecting Nigeria, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, and Togo has attained a 75 percent overall completion rate.
Addressing the gathering, the Chairman of the WAPP Executive Board and Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sule Abdulaziz, urged all stakeholders to maintain collaborative efforts, make prompt decisions, and sustain their dedication to the regional initiative.
Abdulaziz, who was represented by Aminu Tahir, the General Manager and Programme Coordinator at TCN, noted that the milestones achieved thus far reflect years of hard work by technical personnel, participating national governments, and international development partners.
He explained that the primary objective remains finalizing the remaining construction phases to ensure the substantial investments translate into dependable power infrastructure. This network is designed to back regional energy sharing and bolster the domestic power grids of all member nations.
What are the strategic goals of the power initiative?
Representing the Secretary General of the Pool, Abdoulaye Dia, the Director of Planning, Investment Programming and Environmental Safeguards (PIPES), Kodjo Afidegnon, underscored the vital role the project plays in fostering regional power integration.
Dia pointed out that the venture, kicked off in 2019, aims to improve power supply reliability, enable cross-border energy trading, and foster a functional regional electricity market. He acknowledged several hurdles that hampered execution over the years, including security threats along specific project routes, severe flooding, the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain bottlenecks, complex geopolitical shifts, and border closures. These difficulties led to inflated budgets and temporary work stoppages to safeguard personnel.
Upon full delivery, the multi-national infrastructure is projected to reinforce regional connectivity, boost cross-border energy commerce, and deepen diplomatic and economic ties among the beneficiary states, ultimately establishing a cohesive and stable West African power market.
Stakeholders present at the Abuja forum utilized the session to evaluate ongoing milestones, assess lingering logistical hurdles, and formulate strategies to fast-track the conclusion of remaining engineering works.