Launch of work on the WAPP North Backbone Project – WAP

The President of the Republic, Head of State, HE Mohamed Bazoum and his counterpart from Ghana, HE Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, current President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), proceeded this Tuesday in the early afternoon of February 22, 2022, in Gorou banda, about ten kilometers from Niamey, to the official launch of the Regional Electrical Interconnection Project WAPP Dorsale Nord.

The Ghanaian President, who arrived in the morning to participate in this ceremony, was greeted at the foot of the footbridge of the presidential plane by President Mohamed Bazoum.

After the performance of the national anthems of the two countries, and the review of the troops who paid them the honors, the President of the Republic of Ghana was greeted by Nigerien officials, in particular the Speaker of the National Assembly, HE Mr. Seyni Oumarou , the Prime Minister, Head of Government, HE Mr Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou and the High Representative of the President of the Republic, HE Mr Foumakoye Gado.

The ECOWAS WAPP (West African Power Pool) North Backbone Project, at a total cost of USD 568.2 million, aims to set up a 330 kw interconnection line , called Dorsale Nord, to supply, from Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo.

Funded by the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the French Development Agency, the European Union and a counterpart from Nigeria, the works of this electricity interconnection project will be completed in 2024.

In a speech, the Minister of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energies Mr. Mahamane Sani Mahamadou, welcomed the presence of the two Heads of State at this ceremony, which is proof of their support for the implementation of this project.

This project aims, among other things, to operationalize the regional electricity market. In particular, it will allow the regular supply, and at lower cost, of electrical energy to West African populations.