Expert Tasks W’African Stakeholders On Power Challenges

Council Member,
ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority, Ghana (ERERA), Mrs Ifey Ikeonu, last Wednesday, urged stakeholders in the power sector to address electricity problem in the sub-region beyond national barriers .
Ikeonu gave the advice in a presentation titled, “Improving Regulatory Governance through Benchmarking,’’ which she made at a two-day West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC) in Lagos.
According to her, the region’s biggest challenge is that of bridging the gap between electricity supply and demand with average access rate to electricity in the region being about 30 per cent.
“This is a very huge gap that requires a lot of proactive and innovative solutions if we are to meet the goal of sustainable energy for all by the year 2030.
“The region is blessed with an abundance of natural and renewable resources.
“Therefore, we must try to articulate the right strategies that will attract the required financial resources needed to put power infrastructure across board in place.
“We should leverage on the resources within the region, to rapidly improve access to electricity,’’ she said.
Ikeonu said that the vision of West African leaders for the electricity industry should be a sustainable and integrated electricity sector which was reliable and affordable.
She said that such integrated electricity would serve as the bedrock for economic and social development and growth of the region.
“My advice is that stakeholders must begin to look beyond national barriers in addressing the electricity sector challenges in the various countries of West Africa.
“We must learn to rely on our joint resources, be it natural, human or financial, in tackling these challenges.
“Furthermore, we need to pay attention to the governance of the sector because a sustainable power sector can only be built based on a clear, predictable and transparent regulatory framework,’’ Ikeonu added.
She disclosed that in order to ensure the smooth operation of the regional market, member states were mandated to establish an independent regulatory authority where none existed.
She stressed the need for the protection of the independence of the regulatory authority.
According to her, member states should particularly ensure that the regulatory authority has legal personality, budgetary autonomy, and adequate human and financial resources to carry out its duties.
Ikeonu said that ERERA was currently concluding arrangement for the take-off of ECOWAS regional electricity market, adding that the council had finalised the regional market rules.
“We are also working on the development of the contractual templates for cross-border electricity trading in the region.
“The adoption of all of these regulatory tools will signal the commencement of the first phase of the regional market and I am eager to see this in place as soon as possible,’’she said.