The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced that its $225 million Regional Electricity Access Project has provided electricity access to nearly 500,000 people across 490 localities in The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Mali.
The achievement was disclosed at the 10th and final Steering Committee meeting of the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Access Project (ECOWAS-REAP), which opened in Abuja on Tuesday to assess implementation progress and determine measures for sustaining the project’s achievements.
The World Bank-funded initiative is aimed at expanding electricity access in underserved communities across the three countries, while strengthening regional energy integration and improving living conditions in West Africa.
Speaking at the meeting, the Director of Energy and Mines at the ECOWAS Commission and Chairman of the Steering Committee, Arkadius Koumoin, acknowledged the significant progress recorded despite challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and institutional disruptions.
He emphasised the need for concrete decisions and actions to ensure the responsible closure of the project, noting that its success should ultimately be measured by the number of households effectively connected to electricity.
Koumoin stressed the importance of translating infrastructure investments into tangible electricity access for beneficiaries, rather than assessing performance solely through completed project activities.
Representatives of the participating countries reaffirmed their commitment to completing outstanding activities.
They included the Managing Director of The Gambia’s National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), Gallo Saidy; Guinea-Bissau’s Ministry responsible for Energy representative, Pedro Jeus de Oliviera; and Mali’s National Director of Energy, Oussouby Mary dit Ousmane Diarra.
However, Mali requested an extension of the project to enable it to complete outstanding activities before final closure.
The meeting is expected to facilitate agreement among participating countries and the ECOWAS Commission on outstanding actions needed to consolidate the project’s achievements and ensure beneficiaries continue to enjoy reliable electricity.
ECOWAS-REAP forms part of the regional bloc’s broader energy integration agenda and the objectives of ECOWAS Vision 2050, which seeks to promote sustainable development and improve the welfare of citizens across West Africa.
The initiative underscores ECOWAS’ commitment to translating regional investments into tangible development outcomes, particularly through improved access to electricity in underserved communities.
