[REVISION HISTORY]

West African power sector cooperation and grid challenges

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2026-09-18 16:51 UTC → 2026-09-22 16:04 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In late July 2026, Algeria and Niger accelerated joint electricity projects, focusing on a 40‑megawatt mobile gas‑turbine plant, grid reinforcement in Agadez and Niamey, and expanding cooperation into renewable energy, engineering studies and equipment sharing. By early August, Nigeria and Ghana intensified their respective efforts to overhaul national power grids. Nigeria’s Federal Government, through a Technical Working Committee, began working to reinforce transmission corridors and modernize control systems to curb outages. Ghana launched a multi‑billion‑dollar programme, including a US$700 million second gas‑processing plant at Atuabo, a US$278 million emergency transformer rollout, and a US$3.4 billion renewable‑energy action plan. Ghana has also injected approximately GH₵15.2 billion to address financing gaps and legacy debts. By late August, new challenges emerged in Ghana as rising electricity demand and the rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) began straining the grid. System peak demand reached approximately 4,280MW in 2025, more than doubling 2015 levels. Energy Minister Dr John Abdulai Jinapor noted that high-capacity EV chargers can cause transformers to trip, necessitating better management of electric mobility. In mid-September, industrial leaders in both nations warned that energy reliability and costs threaten economic competitiveness. The Association of Ghana Industries stated that electricity costs determine whether local goods can compete within the African Continental Free Trade Area. In Nigeria, stakeholders at the Harvard Business School Association of Nigeria emphasized that despite significant gas potential, infrastructure gaps and poor agency coordination hinder the conversion of gas into reliable, affordable power. By late September, Ghana updated its Renewable Energy Master Plan (REMP) 2026–2030, noting that installed solar capacity reached 276.7 MW by the end of 2025. The plan targets an additional 852 MW of utility-scale solar PV and an expansion of renewable-powered mini-grids to 444 MW by 2030, supported by 1,970 megawatt-hours of battery storage.

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