Israel Oluyemi
The Chairman of the West African Power Pool Executive Board, Sule Abdulaziz, has confirmed that the North Core Interconnection project has entered its final phase as West African countries move closer to strengthening regional electricity supply.
Officials disclosed this during the 9th Joint Supervision Committee meeting in Abuja, where stakeholders assessed progress on the 330kV cross-border transmission project.
The project advances efforts to connect national grids across West Africa and improve electricity reliability for households and industries.
Authorities report that construction teams have cleared most of the transmission corridor and completed compensation for thousands of affected residents along the route.
Project records show that implementation reached about 56 percent completion by the end of December 2025, with steady work ongoing across participating countries.
Stakeholders continue to prioritise coordination between energy and finance ministries in Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo to maintain momentum toward delivery.
Abdulaziz described the project as a key driver of regional cooperation, saying it supports economic integration and grid stability across borders.
He also noted that ongoing work has already generated employment opportunities and strengthened technical capacity within the power sector across member states.
However, project officials acknowledged that security challenges and logistical difficulties in parts of the region have slowed execution and increased costs.
A senior monitoring official said these issues have required adjustments to financing arrangements and stronger support from beneficiary countries to sustain progress.
Development partners, including the African Development Bank and the World Bank, continue to back the project as implementation moves toward completion.
Stakeholders reaffirmed commitments to accelerate delivery, stressing that delays would affect millions of people awaiting improved access to stable electricity.