Major ECOWAS Electricity Project Faces Delays and Challenges

Ouagadougou – A significant electricity interconnection project involving Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Benin, known as the Interconnexion Dorsale Nord, is facing substantial delays and challenges, as reported to the Burkinabè Minister of Energy, Yacouba Zabré Gouba. This project, crucial for regional energy integration, is encountering difficulties, with its completion scheduled for the end of 2024.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the leader of the project, these difficulties were discussed in a meeting with Yacouba Gouba. Siengui Appolinaire Ki, the Secretary-General of WAPP, highlighted issues of insecurity and delays, which could lead to additional costs. He expressed these concerns after a meeting with the Burkinabè Minister, as reported by the ministry’s communications services. The project, which is part of an ECOWAS master plan for the development of electrical energy production and transmission in West Africa, faces strained relations between Nigeria and its Sahel neighbors, and with donors like France and international institutions.

The project is funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the government of Nigeria, with a budget of US $692 million. It includes a high voltage line of over 900 km from Birim Kebbi in Nigeria to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, passing through Niamey in Niger and linking Malanville in Benin, with a component for rural electrification.

Launched in February 2022 by the then presidents of Niger and Ghana, Mohamed Bazoum and Nana Akufo-Addo, the project faced a setback in August 2023. Following General Tiani’s rise to power in Niamey, Nigeria halted its electricity supply to Niger. This move supported ECOWAS’s punitive decisions and aimed to pressure for the return of Mohamed Bazoum to the presidency in Niger.